# The case for optimism

*Hello friends! You likely signed up for this after reading one of my
essays
on [Medium](https://medium.com/@seanblanda?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism) or
seeing something
on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SeanBlanda?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism). I
send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of stuff I'm working
on, thinking about, and the best reading from around the web — all
ending with a sweet flag. See past
issues *[*here*](http://tinyletter.com/blanda/archive?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)*.
Now, to the newsletter:*\
![Click "Display Images" to see Big tex in
Dallas](../images/a3f205226bbf.jpg)*Above: Last month I visited Dallas
for the first time and became acquainted with Big Tex, a moving talking
statue that once [heroically recovered from a tragic
fire](http://nypost.com/2012/10/19/giant-big-tex-statue-burns-down-after-60-years-as-state-fair-icon/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).*\
 \
Regular readers will know that I care deeply about our discourse and all
of our roles in making it better. And, lately, I think we’ve turned a
corner to something new and better. Seriously! A case for optimism!\
 \
To catch you up: I think the incentives of our news environment and
distribution methods are contributing directly to the divisiveness in
our country. And it seems that we’re beginning to reckon with that fact.
It’s messy. It’s not anywhere close to be solved. But we’re talking
honestly about it. And there's some actual movement and wide recognition
of the problems. Which is the first step in solving them.\
 \
I know it’s hard to stay upbeat in the current media and political
climate. So allow me to (hopefully) cheer you up!\
 \
**Reason \#1: We want to ban our president from Twitter**\
 \
Platforms have gotten away with the “we’re neutral!” defense for too
long when it comes to bullying, abuse, and misinformation. More people
are realizing that no platform can afford to be neutral. That even the
choice of "neutrality" has consequences. Platforms must have what
[Yonatan Zunger calls an “editorial
voice.”](https://twitter.com/yonatanzunger/status/914613814401921026?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)
They must make (or be forced to make) choices.\
\
Example: As our president uses Twitter to saber-rattle, should Twitter
ban him? Lots of people say "yes." I say
"omg-no-do-you-realize-what-that-will-mean?" [So I wrote an essay about
it](http://seanblanda.com/why-we-should-fight-to-keep-our-president-tweeting/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).
Basically: I think these platforms are in a new regulatory category that
we haven't defined yet. So let's not set bad precedent. I’d love your
thoughts.\
\
**Reason \#2: We’re holding platforms accountable**\
 \
The horrific shooting Las Vegas is no cause for anything short of
despair. But the reaction to it has gone beyond the all-too-typical
choreography around mass shootings. More of our conversation is how our
platforms seed misinformation for partisan ends. Mozilla even held a
"[MisinfoCon](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MisinfoCon?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)"
(I GUESS MY INVITE GOT LOST IN THE MAIL, GUYS)\
 \
Google indexed 4chan as a leading news source when the suspect’s name
was searched. YouTube was surfacing unspeakably abhorrent results.
Facebook was [highlighting an erroneous Gateway Pundit story on its
crises response
page](https://twitter.com/broderick/status/914840232767447041?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
 \
That’s led to some condemnations from The Atlantic (and others): [Google
and Facebook Have Failed
Us](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/10/google-and-facebook-have-failed-us/541794/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
 \
**Reason \#3: Facebook is realizing what it did**\
 \
After thinking it was “pretty crazy” to think that Facebook swung the
election, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is singing a difference tune, including
[hosting a Facebook Live where he addressed and acknowledges the
concerns](https://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/mark-zuckerberg-cant-stop-you-from-reading-this-because-the?utm_term=.jyNRe5MkYX&utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism#.cdAVdWwBGR)…
and even [asking for forgiveness on Yom
Kipper](https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104074437830721?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
![Click "Display Images" to see Zuck's
repentance](../images/6a886530008a.png) \
**Reason \#4: There are serious calls for changes in regulation**\
 \
Can we regulate our way out of this issue? Should we? We’re starting to
grapple with this now. It's suspected that Facebook isn’t releasing any
of the [Russian propaganda ads it
placed](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/technology/russia-election-facebook-ads-rage.html?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)
because of [a 1986
law](https://theoutline.com/post/2383/this-is-why-tech-companies-won-t-disclose-content-of-russian-ads?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
 \
And now both left and right are circling ... there has even been a
bi-partisan policy paper [that names tech regulation as the \#1
priority](https://www.wired.com/story/how-big-tech-became-a-bipartisan-whipping-boy/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
 \
**Reason \#5: The Senate Intelligence Committee is getting involved. And
they have subpoena power.**\
 \
It’s become clear that Twitter [is one of the main ways misinformation
is
spread](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/technology/twitter-russia-election.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).
Along with Facebook and Google, Twitter representatives will be
appearing in front of the SIC on Nov 1. It has already turned over
suspected [Russian-linked
accounts](https://apnews.com/9a767b906da94700a25add9699a663ca/Twitter-turns-over-'handles'-of-201-Russia-linked-accounts?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
 \
**Reason \#6: The platforms are responding to pressure**\
 \
After Rose McGowan was suspended from Twitter many users
revolted, boycotting Twitter for a day using the \#WomanBoycottTwitter
hashtag. Normally, such hashtag activism would go nowhere. But Twitter
CEO Jack Dorsey responded, acknowledging they must do better and
[claimed to be reviewing
rules](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/women-boycott-twitter-rules_us_59e17c23e4b0a52aca182c00?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).\
\
And just this week, after getting hammered for the opaqueness of its
ads, Twitter [rolled out new transparency efforts for its
ads](https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/topics/product/2017/New-Transparency-For-Ads-on-Twitter.html?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism). HUGE
win.\
 \
**Reason \#7: The thinkpieces cometh**\
 \
More serious thinkers than ever are publicly grappling with the
complexity and intractable nature of this issue. Some examples:

- [Our Gutenberg moment: It’s time to grapple with the internet’s effect
  on
  democracy](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/our-gutenberg-moment-its-time-to-grapple-with-the_us_59db64c3e4b0705dc79aa998?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)
- [Tim
  O’Reilly](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/our-gutenberg-moment-its-time-to-grapple-with-the_us_59db64c3e4b0705dc79aa998?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)
  [is writing a book on the
  topic](http://niemanreports.org/articles/tim-oreilly-on-ways-to-put-the-brakes-on-fake-news-and-rebuild-trust-on-the-internet/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism).
- [In the Land of Internet Subcultures, Try Not to Look Like a
  Tourist ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/insider/youtube-right-internet-subculture.html?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)

***Personal news:***\
 \
I’ll be in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 8^(th) speaking at Trivago
Academy about the future of careers and creativity. [Tickets are free if
you’re
local](https://www.facebook.com/events/284464631958571/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism)!\
 \
***Official newsletter flag (for now)***\
 \
![Kurdistan flag](../images/4ece53aed967.png)This is the flag of
Kurdistan, which is an autonomous region in Iraq that recently voted
overwhelmingly in favor if its independence. There are an estimated 30
million Kurds living in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey without a
state to call their own (compare that to Australia's 24 million or
Canada's 36 million) — though the future for an independent Kurdish
state [remain
bleak](https://www.ft.com/content/01e4c572-b5a2-11e7-a398-73d59db9e399?mhq5j=e5&utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-case-for-optimism),
and it's unlikely we'll see the above flag join the ranks of the U.N.
anytime soon. Call me a democracy absolutist, but I hope the Kurds (like
their Catalonian counterparts) eventually achieve the independence they
dream of. \
\
Dear reader, may your dreams also come true. Thanks for making space in
your crowded inbox.\
\
 - Sean