Are social media algorithms actually destroying the internet?

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In this episode of my Section 230 series, I sit down with Eric Goldman, Associate Dean for Research and Professor at Santa Clara Law, and one of the nation's foremost experts on internet law, to debunk the biggest myths surrounding Section 230 and algorithmic amplification.

I hear all the time: platforms should lose their Section 230 protections because they use algorithms. But what actually is an algorithm? Most people don't even understand the basics. Eric and I discuss how even the beloved "reverse chronological order" feed is an algorithm, and why it actually rewards spammers, trolls, and bad actors.

We dive deep into how politicians are using the "techlash" to gain power, why censorship has become a bipartisan value, and how companies like Meta actually want Section 230 gone so they can wipe out their smaller competitors.

From the dangers of age verification laws to the truth about how algorithms protect us from navigating an internet that functions like a giant folder of Google Drive links, we discuss the real existential threats to the open web, and how arguments about "algorithms" miss the real powers at play.

Topics Covered:

Why reverse chronological feeds encourage bad content
How algorithms function as basic editorial choices
Why Meta/Facebook lobbies to remove Section 230 to build competitive moats
The bipartisan push for internet censorship and government control
The devastating impacts of age verification laws and losing youth online spaces

Everything You Know About Algorithms Is A Lie: Section 230 Algorithm Problem Explained

Taylor Lorenz’s Power User