Ensuring pluralism in social media markets : some suggestions

Abstract

Social media platforms have created unprecedented possibilities to communicate, access and share information online. However, they have also raised various challenges for both individuals and society. One is how they impact the plurality and diversity of media that each user is exposed to. This paper attempts to shed light on the current challenges concerning pluralism and content moderation in social media markets. It does so by identifying the relevant market failures and the likely theory of harm, and it suggests two possible solutions: the first is a form of regulated pluralism; the second is the unbundling of hosting and content moderation activities.