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For various reasons, most of us have lost trust. mainstream social media giantsincluding moderation decisions. How do I know if my posts are really reaching my friends and followers? Or if the scope of my posts is suffocating Is it because of our political/ideological beliefs or background?
In the early days of the web (often referred to as “Web1”) in the late 1990s, moderation wasn’t a big deal. The web was founded with a utopian perspective, and at the time it was generally more polite online. Most of the time, we were interacting with people we know in real life or like-minded online communities and enthusiasts. There were no government-funded armies of bots and trolls behind the curtain stirring up chaos. There were no politicians, pundits, or mob agitators hurling digital daggers and arrows at our prows. How have times changed?
Today, in what is commonly known as “Web2,” our newsfeeds are ablaze with anger. Prejudice, bigotry, offensive words, images, and videos walk right in front of our eyes.
When it comes to political debate, Web2 is a mess. a 2023 Pew Research Survey According to the survey, “nearly 80% of Americans believe that social media has made people’s political opinions more divided,” and about 70% believe that platforms have “further divided people’s political opinions.” “The way we talk about things has become less polite.”
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There is no rest for the upcoming version of the web (known as “Web3”) built on blockchain technology. Its tokenized moderation scheme results in an even darker echo chamber.
But despite these dangers, we must have the freedom to express ourselves without having our tongues clamped down by Big Brother’s high-handed muzzle. How can we solve this puzzle in a way that satisfies all sides?
Upholding the principles of free speech and civil debate is essential to strengthening our republic. Open discussion facilitates the democratic process. As I often say, disagreement is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy. Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist and politician said in 1860: “Suppressing free speech is a double wrong. It violates not only the rights of the speaker but also the rights of the listener.”
Restoration Networking strives to protect civility and solve core content moderation issues while supporting the principles of free speech. Imagine us all breathing a collective sigh of relief when this is accomplished.
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This is the dilemma we want to solve. First, sites that completely abandon moderation in the name of free speech absolutism are dysfunctional on arrival. These are inevitably filled with spam, pornography, hate speech, bullying, harassment, identity theft, and incitement to violence. This environment is not only dangerous; It also makes these sites unusable for most people.
This has already happened with “anything goes” sites like 8Chan, which was shut down and later relaunched as 8kun. Another site, Secret, was shut down by its founder who was disgusted by its content. secret investor money was refunded.
Second, the moderation provided by Meta, TikTok, Twitter/X, and other mainstream giants remains flawed and biased, despite ongoing Band-Aids to fix it. and is unreliable. a Pew Research 2024 Poll A survey found that 83% of Americans, including a majority of conservatives and liberals, believe social media giants are “censoring political views with which they disagree.”
Restoration Networking opens up a clear new path to supporting authentic civil debate, a critical sweet spot for a well-functioning democracy. There are some simple rules for us as users that are enforced by the site’s trust and safety team. Inciting violence, bullying, harassment, spam, leaking personal information, and harassing posts are prohibited. The last rule is clearly and narrowly defined by the site’s user advisory board in a way that parties on both sides of the political spectrum can agree on.
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These rules allow people from all walks of life to have passionate conversations about politics, health issues, diet, science, and lifestyle. To take a (perhaps controversial) example, what this means is that you can always have a lively conversation about the benefits of vaccines. It also means that we always have the freedom to harshly criticize governments and political leaders. Chinese web and social media companies are a perfect example of where we don’t want to go. These companies are completely Ban all images and mentions That’s because some Chinese citizens humorously used the honey-loving bear to mock leader Xi Jinping.
The approach we are taking is neither conservative nor liberal. This is American and the foundation of Restoration Networking in the spirit of civil discussion.
Excerpted from “” with permission from publisher Wiley.Regain your sanity online: An innovative social framework” by mark weinstein. Copyright © 2025 by Mark Weinstein. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. This book is available wherever books and e-books are sold.
