NBC’s Collins: We Have ‘Speech Inflation,’ All of the Good Information out There Costs Money

GEIST The 2020 election ░░░░░░░░ 6 all figure into ░░░░░░░░ next election Ahead of ░░░░░░░░ 2024 presidential campaign a ░░░░░░░░ of social media platforms ░░░░░░░░ starting to roll back ░░░░░░░░ of the measures they ░░░░░░░░ in place to combat ░░░░░░░░ Last week YouTube announced ░░░░░░░░ will stop removing content ░░░░░░░░ falsely claims the 2020 ░░░░░░░░ was fraudulent In a ░░░░░░░░ post the company wrote ░░░░░░░░ such posts could quote ░░░░░░░░ the unintended effect of ░░░░░░░░ political speech without meaningfully ░░░░░░░░ the risk of violence ░░░░░░░░ other real world harm ░░░░░░░░ s parent company Meta ░░░░░░░░ recently reinstated the Instagram ░░░░░░░░ of Robert F Kennedy ░░░░░░░░ He was removed from ░░░░░░░░ platform in 2021 for ░░░░░░░░ misinformation on Covid vaccines ░░░░░░░░ says it is bringing ░░░░░░░░ personal account back because ░░░░░░░░ is now an active ░░░░░░░░ for president Joining us ░░░░░░░░ to talk about this ░░░░░░░░ News Senior Reporter Ben ░░░░░░░░ and Professor of Psychology ░░░░░░░░ Behavioral Economics at Duke ░░░░░░░░ Dan Ariely He s ░░░░░░░░ of the forthcoming book ░░░░░░░░ Misbelief What Makes Rational ░░░░░░░░ Believe Irrational Things Good ░░░░░░░░ to you both It ░░░░░░░░ good to have you ░░░░░░░░ Ben let me start ░░░░░░░░ you on the YouTube ░░░░░░░░ the most recent of ░░░░░░░░ companies starting to roll ░░░░░░░░ and saying it s ░░░░░░░░ political speech We got ░░░░░░░░ let people say what ░░░░░░░░ want There isn t ░░░░░░░░ real threat of violence ░░░░░░░░ these things January 6 ░░░░░░░░ like a case against ░░░░░░░░ point Why are they ░░░░░░░░ it COLLINS Because apparently ░░░░░░░░ of us were alive ░░░░░░░░ the last seven years ░░░░░░░░ don t know The ░░░░░░░░ the real answer here ░░░░░░░░ is political gamesmanship here ░░░░░░░░ the last two years ░░░░░░░░ number one priority for ░░░░░░░░ Republican Congress is to ░░░░░░░░ up the Twitter Files ░░░░░░░░ all these things about ░░░░░░░░ GEIST Right COLLINS on ░░░░░░░░ Internet But you know ░░░░░░░░ happened really We have ░░░░░░░░ speech It costs eight ░░░░░░░░ to post something on ░░░░░░░░ that gets seen now ░░░░░░░░ And I m just ░░░░░░░░ I know it sounds ░░░░░░░░ facile I get it ░░░░░░░░ also you know YouTube ░░░░░░░░ Twitter they all have ░░░░░░░░ these things they have ░░░░░░░░ back end things that ░░░░░░░░ like you could go ░░░░░░░░ look at this thing ░░░░░░░░ CrowdTangle that you see ░░░░░░░░ Facebook You could see ░░░░░░░░ what was going on ░░░░░░░░ that platform right This ░░░░░░░░ because of years of ░░░░░░░░ saying we need to ░░░░░░░░ out what s going ░░░░░░░░ in these black boxes ░░░░░░░░ are social media networks ░░░░░░░░ the same thing It ░░░░░░░░ basically called API access ░░░░░░░░ can go the best ░░░░░░░░ to this you can ░░░░░░░░ to the pharmacy you ░░░░░░░░ ask what s behind ░░░░░░░░ pharmacy and get the ░░░░░░░░ out the pharmacy You ░░░░░░░░ see basically what information ░░░░░░░░ want to get That ░░░░░░░░ gone And that s ░░░░░░░░ years of lobbying from ░░░░░░░░ to specifically try to ░░░░░░░░ as much unfettered speech ░░░░░░░░ possible That sort of ░░░░░░░░ was labeled as you ░░░░░░░░ the the disinformation regime ░░░░░░░░ know the people trying ░░░░░░░░ stop you from saying ░░░░░░░░ speech just the study ░░░░░░░░ the actual speech on ░░░░░░░░ Internet And now we ░░░░░░░░ you know the same ░░░░░░░░ are saying things like ░░░░░░░░ are national security threat ░░░░░░░░ what We re never ░░░░░░░░ to know what s ░░░░░░░░ that black box Because ░░░░░░░░ pressure that academics put ░░░░░░░░ Facebook and Twitter and ░░░░░░░░ Google Instagram that pressure ░░░░░░░░ now politically not fine ░░░░░░░░ we have is you ░░░░░░░░ it s it s ░░░░░░░░ inflation basically All of ░░░░░░░░ good information out there ░░░░░░░░ money It costs money ░░░░░░░░ say stuff on the ░░░░░░░░ it costs money to ░░░░░░░░ good information on the ░░░░░░░░ Now that API you ░░░░░░░░ still access the Twitter ░░░░░░░░ but it s exorbitantly ░░░░░░░░ millions of dollars sometimes ░░░░░░░░ GEIST So COLLINS that ░░░░░░░░ the issue here is ░░░░░░░░ we have evolved past ░░░░░░░░ point on the Internet ░░░░░░░░ you can get good ░░░░░░░░ or you can even ░░░░░░░░ your mind.”