The Dark Side of Social Media?

This chapter examines the socio-technological aspects of social media that facilitate these types of behaviour such as the (semi-)anonymity of the Internet and the ability to hide in the dark web, and the sheer volume of users and online activity. It considers how regulation regimes that protect social media companies from responsibility for the content posted on their platforms have contributed to this sense of lawlessness, and why the social media companies have fiercely resisted content regulation by governments. It looks at the online cultures associated with shitposting and trolling, their histories and impacts on contemporary society, and their uses of specific discursive and visual communicative practices. It also looks at the role of governments, in terms of their attempts to monitor and govern these seemingly out of control spaces.