The question we’re left with is, what could the platforms do to protect their users?
What is clear is that this misinformation is harmful to its users—particularly the ones most vulnerable, children and adolescents. The question we’re left with is, what could the platforms do to protect their users? And do they even have a responsibility to protect us? Unfortunately, it seems that upholding that responsibility comes in direct conflict with what generates growth and money for these companies. It is not in social media’s best interest to censor and to only allow that which is 100 percent true, because these platforms serve first and foremost to entertain. Entertainment retains users, increases watch time, generates revenue. Truth is not as powerful. Whether the creators of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, or TikTok intended for this dissonance—between what the platforms provide and what users believe they are getting—to exist is irrelevant. The fact is that it does exist—users are constantly being misled, deceived, and affected by misinformation. This, I believe, is the responsibility of the platforms. Wouldn’t it make sense for Instagram to develop a feature that, for example, fact-checks posts or scans for photoshopped bodies?