Power Trip
There’s No Such Thing as a Web Without Gatekeepers
On so-called open platforms, it’s the users who silence others
Multiple testimonies before Congress, a presidential accusation, and a public apology: With all of that, there is no doubt that big tech has become the new target in a decades-old argument about the media’s supposed anti-conservative bias.
The fears may be misplaced. My own research on conservative news practices demonstrates the complexity around this issue and the ways in which voices are silenced online. In fact, conservatism abounds in media, depending on what you search. Google isn’t shaping our ideological positions: It’s the other way around.
In other words, what we believe shapes what we search, how we search, and when we search for it.
Nonetheless, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube do have the power to diminish content creators who espouse liberal or conservative positions. That runs counter to the ideals of Web 2.0, which brought with it a promise that our ideas would not be hampered by the power of a few large conglomerates.
But algorithms and their human controllers at large tech companies aren’t all that determine social media visibility. My research demonstrates that users largely…
