Thread by @davetroy

Very interesting paper on the "Stewardship of global collective behavior" which has many good observations. I have my own opinions about solutions which are a bit different. But this is the core of the problem and perhaps the thorniest issue we face.
pnas.org/content/118/27…

Like, ok, as if this isn't a loaded statement: "We suggest that there is an urgent need for an equivalent of the Hippocratic oath for anyone studying or intervening into collective behavior, whether from within academia or from within social media companies and other tech firms."

And, lol, my GOD yes: "This raises the possibility that some business models may be fundamentally incompatible with a healthy society. In such cases, identified interventions may not be in the interests of either the company or the users that prefer it."

Who has access to the data? Who's shutting down CrowdTangle? 🤔 "Producing such evidence will be substantially more difficult if companies have a heavy hand in the production, funding, and communication of research (155, 156)."

"[S]ocial media’s influence provides a unique source of both risk and opportunity. Changes to a few lines of code can impact global behavioral processes. Such changes are ongoing, with or without scientific guidance."

Who has the moral authority to appoint themselves as 'steward'? [besides me ofc]

"The ethical issues raised by stewardship of social systems, like those associated with ecological systems, will require input from philosophy, public policy, and disciplines across the humanities."

Facebook is breaking up CrowdTangle in favor of its own "self-reporting" about platform activity, according to @kevinroose.

nytimes.com/2021/07/14/tec…