Can we get rid of the bad bits of social media and keep the good? Is it possible to create a more positive social media experience than the one we get from the platforms that dominate the landscape today? In this episode, Elaine Moore asks what the social media platforms of the future should look like, and whether platforms designed for smaller groups of users with shared interests are the way forward.We hear from writer and tech historian Benj Edwards about the BBS era of the early 1990s; University of Massachusetts professor Ethan Zuckerman; Sarah Gilbert, researcher at Cornell University and Reddit moderator; and Jonathan Abrams, partner at 8-Bit Capital and the creator of Friendster.Presented by Elaine Moore. Produced by Edwin Lane and Josh Gabert-Doyon, Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Hannah Murphy.Mentioned in this podcast:The Lex Newsletter: Reddit and the API apocalypseDiscord has won over gamers. Now it wants everybody elseReddit stands firm in clash with users as blackout on forums escalatesRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ethan Zuckerman and Mike Sugarman discuss a human-scale Internet, the threat of an LLM ouroboros, and urban planning. They explore challenges like Bitcoin, advertising, and restructuring the internet, advocating for diverse search engine alternatives and improved web content quality.

Ethan Zuckerman, an academic, is suing Meta to give users more control over their feeds. The podcast discusses the legal battle for user control over social media feeds and tools, highlighting the importance of algorithms and data privacy.

Ethan Zuckerman, a digital media professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discusses his groundbreaking lawsuit against Meta regarding Section 230. He delves into the need for user autonomy over social media algorithms and critiques the corporate control wielded by platforms like Facebook. The conversation highlights the dark side of online reviews, the interoperability challenge among digital platforms, and the quest for genuine communication in today’s internet landscape. Zuckerman advocates for community-driven solutions and regulatory change to enhance user rights.

Ethan Zuckerman, an internet scholar and director at the UMass Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, passionately critiques the U.S. ban on TikTok. He argues this reflects a disturbing shift from valuing unrestricted access to information to embracing censorship, driven by anti-China sentiment and fear of youth social media engagement. Zuckerman emphasizes that this trend risks aligning America with authoritarian regimes. He also highlights generational divides in attitudes toward these policies, calling for a reevaluation of free speech principles in the digital age.