Social media and democracy

Social media is reshaping democracy in ways that we don’t fully understand. It’s a complex relationship that governs why people can be so uncivil online, echo chamber effects, fake news propagation and foreign electoral influence. But consider that we clearly see how corrosive some practices are. Social media companies can no longer hide behind the Communications Decency Act and claim they are neutral platforms on which other conduct discourse. They have a responsibility to monitor that discourse. Today, I signed a petition asking Facebook and Twitter to suspend our president for his attacks on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, sharing a video questioning her loyalty to the United States and putting her life at risk.