The Limitations of Litigation

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Tristan: We're using a medieval institution called litigation to deal with 21st century technology issues such as social media amplification, virality and quick ad. Laura: I honestly don't know how we address that as a society simply because of these products and how they're built; regulation is a good answer. Tristan: What advice would you give to others that are frustrated about these issues and might feel powerless? Laura: Be an overprotective mom. Ask questions, push, write letters, hold up signs, put things on social media, protect your kids,. Tell your school, tell your teachers, tell your governors, mayors, senators.

Social media was humanity’s ‘first contact’ moment with AI. If we’re going to create laws that are strong enough to prevent AI from destroying our societies, we could benefit from taking a look at the major lawsuits against social media platforms that are playing out in our courts right now.

In our last episode, we took a close look at Big Food and its dangerous “race to the bottom” that parallels AI. We continue that theme this week with an episode about litigating social media and the consequences of the race to engagement in order to inform how we can approach AI harms.

Our guest, attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett, left her predominantly defense-oriented practice to join the Social Media Victims Law Center in February 2022. Laura is literally on the front lines of the battle to hold social media firms accountable for the harms they have created in young people’s lives for the past decade.

Listener warning: there are distressing and potentially triggering details within the episode.

Correction: Tristan refers to the Social Media Victims Law Center as a nonprofit legal center. They are a for-profit law firm.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

1) If you're a parent whose child has been impacted by social media, Attorneys General in Colorado, New Hampshire, and Tennessee are asking to hear your story. Your testimonies can help ensure that social media platforms are designed safely for kids. For more information, please visit the respective state links.

Colorado

New Hampshire

Tennessee

2) Social Media Victims Law Center
A non-profit legal center that was founded in 2021 in response to the testimony of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen

3) Resources for Parents & Educators

Overwhelmed by our broken social media environment and wondering where to start? Check out our Youth Toolkit plus three actions you can take today

4) The Social Dilemma
Learn how the system works. Watch and share The Social Dilemma with people you care about

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

Transcending the Internet Hate Game with Dylan Marron

A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen

Behind the Curtain on The Social Dilemma with Jeff Orlowski-Yang and Larissa Rhodes

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_