Where is the Balance Between Free Expression and Harmfull Online Misinformation?

"Pinched". Pencil on paper, 1969.

How do Americans weigh a core value like free expression against the downsides that come with harmful content and misinformation online? A new report by Gallup and Knight Foundation, released June 16, explores attitudes toward key issues in tech policy, including content moderation, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and approaches to industry self-governance like Facebook’s Oversight Board. This new study provides a springboard for tech companies, government and citizens like to advance a conversation about free expression online.

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The above was the intro blurb/advertisement for a seminar I attended last week by the Gallup organization and the Knight Foundation. They've been doing a series of programs with interesting and relevant data from Gallup combined with insightful commentary by experts.

At the heart of this issue is a very real problem. Who decides? Who decides what is and is not acceptable "free speech"?

Because all of these social media platforms are accessible to all, there is a sense of responsibility that accompanies their use. And then there are the darker aspects of this issue. For example, when Facebook or Twitter or Reddit post content that hurts other people, should these people be allowed to sue Facebook, Twitter and Google?

Currently there is a section of the law called Section 230 that prohibits suing the platforms. 66% of the public favors keeping Section 230 as is. But a full one-third want to eliminate that.

Heather Moore from Facebook was one of the speakers addressing questions about governance of content. In 2019 Facebook established an independent board designed to hold Facebook accountable for their rules in this area. She said they chose an independent board because people don't trust government. Politics has become polarized and rules inconsistent.

Gallup/Knight assembled a lengthy report which I will link to at the end, but here are a few highlights of note.

Nearly all Americans (98%) say child pornography should never be allowed on social media, and particularly relevant today, 85% say misleading health information also should be prohibited.

The Executive Summary states:
Many Americans have personally been targeted by harmful online behavior. – Of the types of harms people experience online, Americans most frequently cite being called offensive names (44%). More than 1 in 3 (35%) say someone has tried to purposefully embarrass them online, 18% have been physically threatened, and 15% have been sexually harassed.

and

Challenging issues in challenging times.

Fully 3 in 10 Americans (31%) have requested a social media or internet company remove a post made by someone else they considered harmful, and 21% have had a post they made removed by a social media or internet company.

Those numbers perhaps help put a little perspective on things. But then there is the issue of trust. Can the social media companies be trusted to make good decisions? 44% of Americans do not have a lot of faith in the social media folks to make trustworthy decisions and 40% don't trust them at all.

It must be challenging for the companies because nearly half say they are not tough enough and others say they are too tough.

When it comes to free expression, 52% of Democrats say that people should have freedom to express their views and 76% of Republicans feel this way. Neither party believes in unlimited free expression.

The report is available for downland and a worthwhile snapshot of an important issue today. You can find it here: Free Expression, Harmful Speech and Censorship in a Digital World

Seeking Balance in Coping with Anger

GUEST POST: DR. RONALD NEWMAN, PH.D.

How do you feel when others do not meet your expectations, or when you do not get what you want? Do you “bite your wife’s head off”? Do you lose your voice yelling at your kids? Do you secretly obsess and seethe at something your neighbor did, wondering how you can get even?

Depending on many complex factors, we can react in many different ways. Sometimes we are simply irritated, frustrated, or impatient. Other times we rage, at least on the inside.

Anger brings with it a great deal of physiological arousal. Your heart beats faster, your breathing rate increases, your pupils constrict, and your blood flows more to your active muscles - all signs that your adrenal glands are pumping more hormones which signal your body to go into “fight or flight” mode.

Here are a few tips to help you cope in a way that can diminish the damage that poor anger management does to both you and those around you.

1) Delay your response. It essential to break negative automatic and habitual ways of expressing your anger that hurt others and yourself. “Counting to 10” is age old advice that really does serve a purpose. It helps you engage the thinking portions of your brain so you can evaluate the potential consequences of the angry comments you would like to make.

2) Resist acting out anger inappropriately. This can be verbal or non-verbal behavior. Saying or doing things intended to hurt others will only escalate your problems. Be slow to speak. This is the path of mature, responsible adult behavior.

3) Listen attentively and objectively. What is the other person really communicating? How is the person feeling? Seek to really put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Research shows the high value of empathy in overcoming habitual expressions of anger.

4) Consider the offense before responding. Focus on the big picture, rather than reacting on impulse. Attempt to understand their reason for offending you in the way they did, or if they even meant it as an offense. What is really triggering your feelings of anger? How might your response affect your future relationship?

5) Release the anger before the day is over. Holding on to your anger is not worth it on many levels, including your health. Research has even shown it increases pain and depression levels. Seek to release the anger as quickly as possible.

6) Tell yourself “I am not easy to offend.” And believe it. You really can modify your habitual ways of thinking.

7) Avoid a victim mentality. Even if you are a victim of unfair treatment, you do not want to get stuck there. Instead, look for ways to empower yourself and take responsibility to manage your life and relationships in healthier ways. Considering your situation from the position of an equal rather than from a superior or inferior position can help you negotiate relationship conflicts and work toward win-win solutions.

8) Develop assertive communication skills. You can use the anger to motivate you to assertive, but not aggressive, action. Assertiveness includes open, honest communication that expresses your concerns and what you want. Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violent responses are examples of healthy assertive action that brought about positive change. You can do the same in your family, speaking the truth in love.

9) Evaluate and modify your thinking in the direction of being grateful for the blessings in your life. This is particularly true when we notice an underlying hostility from unresolved anger that is beginning to fester within us. Learning to let go of offenses and embracing our blessings has great value for our own health and the health of our relationships with others.

10) Forgiveness is fundamental. Understanding, accepting, and letting go of offenses is a process we go through in relationships we value. This is a process that takes time for some, but is something we are all challenged to embrace.

Ronald S. Newman, Ph.D. is a New Jersey psychologist at the Lakeview Professional Center on Route 30 who can be reached at: write2balance@gmail.com, or 609-567-9022. This article original appeared in the Hammonton Gazette, March 2016