Rick HasenVerified account

/5 Internet/social media have done tremendously great things in terms of access to diverse sources of information and viewpoints

/6 But it has a dark side for democracy too as it has seriously hurt mediating institutions of (especially local) news, political parties

/7 in place of media scarcity, we now have media firehose which has diluted trusted sources of information and led to the rise of fake news

/8 The demise of local newspapers sets the stage for an increase in corruption among state and local officials.

Rather than democratizing politics,cheap speech appears to be hastening the irrelevancy of parties by facilitating the ability of demagogues

/10 Social media also can both increase intolerance and overcome collective action problems, both allowing for peaceful protest ...

/11 but also supercharging polarization and raising the dangers of violence in the United States.

/12 SCOTUS libertarian 1st A doctrine did not cause democracy problems from cheap speech, but it may stand in the way of needed reforms