An Interoperating Social Media Environment: Necessary (though Not Sufficient) Response To The Issue Of Information Integrity

The problem of mainstream media concentration was no stranger to pre-digital times. But social media networks have extended the reach and audiences to a global scale, deploying tools and business models that retain people’s attention and introduce significant new distortions in information’s flow and consumption. While claiming not to be publishers, they undermine business models and sustainability of many media, and concentrate immense gatekeeping powers into a few corporations largely beyond the reach of regulators. This is directly relevant to the G20’s focus on information integrity. The current efforts to mitigate the problem of information integrity focus on trying to make Big Tech players behave. However, how ‘integrity of information’ or the ‘truth’ is navigated and defined in social systems is a complex, open-ended, and wider process. An effective response must address the full breadth and complexity ofthe issues, by ensuring an interoperating plural digital media ecology, replacing the current concentrated Big Tech social media space. To achieve its goals, this policy brief will present the following proposals: I. We aim to provide an understanding of the intricate dynamics between existing business models, media concentration, and their impacts on economy, sustainability, freedom of expression, and democratic processes. II. We will suggest regulatory proposals, complemented by workable tech and business models, that ensure interoperability and support democratic media, enabled by appropriate policies to address disinformation, enhance diversity, and guarantee freedom in democracy; II. Our recommendations will be grounded on existing literature, policy documents and regulatory practices. The proposed work aligns with G20’s commitment to addressing global challenges in promoting a diverse, plural and resilient digital media ecosystem, promoting information integrity, and sustaining democratic values globally.