My ideal social media platform

Social Media has come a long way since its inception during the early days of the Internet. However, with the exploded competition of social media sites that cater to the differing user needs, thereby competing for a user's business, a lot of them have come to a stage where they would either censor or delete certain users from sharing or voicing their opinions on certain topics, be it controversial or not for no apparent reason for doing so, it is increasing obvious that either a complete overhaul or accountability needs to be on the proverbial table that is truly fair, balanced and or neutral. In their EULAs, the mainstream social media sites tout that they are indeed fair and balanced, but it is evidently clear that it is anything but.

A perfect example to get the conversation going is what happened to me recently on Quora: I came across a question related to the controversial topic of immunization and when I tried to initiate a discussion with the lady I was responding to, she was responding in a way that suggested that I was somehow offending her, when the written words suggested anything but. However, she reported me because I was asking her questions that she (possibly) couldn't answer or didn't have the answers to and then proceeded to delete every single one of my comments to her, even though there was nothing derogatory to speak of.

I then appealed to Quora, hoping that they would see reason, but they didn't. All they could have done is looked at the entire conversation leading up to the comments I made and then decided, but no. They were adamant that there was something in the comments that apparently violated their "be nice, be respectful" policy. I asked for evidence of this so called 'violation' and received no response after that. They kept saying that it did violate their BNBR (Be Nice Be Respectful) policy while offering no justifiable reason for the finding.

After this experience, it made me think about the hypocrisy and special treatment that some people get over the rest of us who think objectively.

This blog is a wish list for if and when some entrepreneur out there decides to design and introduce a completely different and or revamped version of the sad state of the social media platforms these days.

So, here is my wishlist and or requirements for social media platforms:

1. Allow all speech openly and freely, regardless of how offensive it may seem - in accordance with the free speech laws in any country,
2. When looking at reported comments or posts, analyze all comments or posts leading up to said reported comment or post to determine if the user was truly and surely violating any community guidelines set out by the social media site or company,
3. Identify any individuals who are actively approving or stifling the free speech of other users just because they believe that they are right or because they believe their opinion is the only opinion that matters,
4. Discredit or discourage the 'trial by social media' mentality that some users have and encourage them to be not so judgmental (social media ain't high school),
5. Remind users that they will be judged accordingly if they judged anything or anyone unfairly in the first place,
6. Choose advertisers more wisely and who are not politically motivated, and those who do not dictate the type or nature of the content we consume or are influenced by,
7. Allow all viewpoints including those that aren't adopted by mainstream believers in all areas or topics of discussion, 
8. Identify trolls and paid shills and take steps to analyze how these entities behave on said social media platform and take aggressive action against them to curb any ridiculousness that the real users of the social media platform have to deal with,
9. Have a solid verification process that will not allow trolls, paid shills and scammers onto the platform in the first place,
10. No marketing messages or advertising that deploys fear mongering tactics that will take away the content consumer's (of social media) choice to choose the best option for him/her,
11. Hold all moderators working for the company that operates the social media platform accountable for any and all unjustified removal, stifling or censorship of content, user comments and or posts, and
12. Allow all forms of education, no matter how discredited or unorthodox they may be and no matter how many people believe it is discredited or dangerous - because ultimately, the onus is on the user for believing or disbelieving anything he/she comes across and the repercussions that arise from that belief.

The entire premise or consensus of social media is to bring people together, not use it as a weapon of mass division where people's political believes dictates what kind of people they interact with in the end. It is a shame that it is come to a stage where people are being persecuted by social media and not by the legal court system. It is shameful and deplorable to say the least. If we return to just the sharing of ideas and not mocking each other for having them, or for our political believes for that matter, the user base wouldn't be as crazy and all ideas and choices can and would be welcomed.

We need to move away from the 'guilt by association' and or the 'guilty until proven innocent' mentality and encourage the 'innocent until proven guilty' premise or mentality.

Also, no special treatment given to anyone on social media, no matter their status and no matter what their position in the world of social media.

What more could you possibly want?

I have always being taught to look at the other person's point of view no matter how objectionable it may seem. The same goes for putting myself in the shoes of the other person to understand what he/she is going through. I make it a habit to extend this courtesy to fellow humans (or muggles if you prefer to call them that), and I do wish that others will follow suit or are following suit in some way, shape or form.

let me know your thoughts or whether you agree or disagree with anything I have discussed in this article.