Some of you may know that in addition to Infinite Scroll, my other job is hosting The New Liberal Podcast. I recently recorded a couple of podcasts that focus on social media, and now I’m sharing them here as well!
America, China, and TikTok ft. James Palmer
This was originally recorded in March as the House was passing its first bill to ban TikTok. But it’s still relevant today as the TikTok ban has been attached to must-pass foreign aid legislation, and seems set to become law. James Palmer is one of the smartest commentators on understanding China today, and he and I discussed CCP's relationship with companies like ByteDance, the free speech implications of banning a social media platform, and whether or not the CCP should be allowed to control a major platform like TikTok. Links below to both Apple Podcasts and Spotify:
Should we ban kids from Social Media? ft. Shoshana Weissmann
Shoshana and I have a friendly debate focusing around Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Anxious Generation. I tend to be more worried about how social media and smartphones impact kids and lean towards restrictions, while Shoshana is more laissez-faire and skeptical of the harms. It’s an interesting discussion and Shoshana is a great verbal sparring partner. We debate the benefits vs the harms of social media, whether or not to support government regulations, and how we can build a healthier childhood for kids growing up today. Links below:
Many of Shoshana's argument's seemed to boil down to "because the 1A" and it came off weak, at least to me. That's a weird thing to have to say, because while I am not a free speech absolutist, if there's a spectrum I'm definitely closer to free speech absolutism than the opposite extreme. One thing that stood out to me was when you pushed back that we limit things like alcohol, and she came back with the fact that alcohol does measurable damage to your body and mind...and it's like, well, that's also kind of the point of a big chunk of Haidt's book, no? Real psychological effects on kids exposed to social media?
The podcast with Shoshana was frustrating for me to listen to. At every turn, she posits that laws can't change because first amendment concerns, therefore it's up to the parents to solve the problem. This problem is not intractable as she seems to think. My son uses our Xbox and it's limited, by my discretion, to a specific ESRB rating. Something like that could be doable for apps/games/social media on the kids devices.