COMM 203

Social Media, Elections, and the Control of Information My goal for this media collection is to raise awareness of the issue of censorship. Most people think of the government censoring speech or rights, a la 1984, but private companies are just as, if not more so, capable of censorship in today's society. These are private companies and they should be free to dictate the terms of use of their platforms. The problem becomes when their influence has grown so large that it effects our elections, rights, and democratic process. In these media pieces I try and show that censorship is indeed happening and why it is not a good thing. Some pieces deal with the policing of "fake news" and "disinformation" on social media platforms, especially around the time of the US presidential election. There are some videos with constitutional law scholars and other ACLU members talking about free speech and social media. And finally, there are some humorous political cartoons dealing with social media culture in our society because everyone needs a laugh, especially when dealing with something demoralizing. Overall, I hope this collection raises more awareness of the issues facing our country so that we can start to figure out a solution.