Our second source comes from Rebecca Mackinnon, who explains how socialmedia may be “an amplifier and conveyor belt forhatred and violence” (Mackinnon 2). Mackinnon is the director of the Ranking DigitalRights project (Mackinnon 1).
This adds to her credibility because her teamsets the universal requirements for how corporations in the information andcommunications technology division should respect freedom of speech and confidentiality(Mackinnon 1). As the former CNN’s Beijing and Tokyo Bureau Chief, MacKinnon isan expert in Chinese internet censorship, which gives her insight into bothextremes of censorship. On one end of the spectrum, Chinese internet is heavilyregulated and on the other end, she has worked with less regulated internet inother nations.
- Thesis Statement
- Structure and Outline
- Voice and Grammar
- Conclusion
Moreover, Mackinnon was a senior research fellow and Bernard L. Schwartzsenior fellow at New America, adds to her reputations as a reliable source becauseit shows how she focused on the global integration of freedom of expressionrights.In her article, Mackinnonpresents the various outcomes that may come with censoring social media toprevent extremism. Forexample, extremists, such as ISIS use social media as a medium for propagandaand recruitment.
In fact, ISIS has recruited over 30,000 people through itsonline activities. This statistic is significant because it shows how socialmedia allows ISIS to recruit people on a large scale and increases theirnumbers in a way that probably would not have been possible before. Moreover, socialmedia facilitates them by allowing everything to be done by screen, withouthaving to do it face to face. However, it is extremely hardfor social media companies to “stamp out violent and extremist speech withoutunintentionally violating many other people’s rights” (Mackinnon 5). Mackinnonalso points out that fake news misguides and misinforms young and vulnerablepeople. Due to the flood of fake news overpowering social media, “Google andFacebook have started to work with a range of journalists, academic researchersand other expert groups to expose and debunk” them (Mackinnon 7). Mackinnonmakes a hypothetical claim that is valid. Hypothetical CLAIM =She proposes asolution that “companies must find a way to reduce the collateral damage tofree speech rights of people, while also reducing the use of their platforms topromote and perpetrate violent extremism” (Mackinnon 5).