San Mateo County urges standards for social media

“When we talk about social media, we’re not merely discussing virtual interactions,” Canepa said. “We’re talking about the very real impact it has on communities. Content that spreads like wildfire across these platforms doesn’t just stay online, it manifests in our neighborhoods, our schools and our streets.” 

Karen North, the founder and former director of USC Annenberg’s Digital Social Media Program, provided a presentation to the board about the impact social media has on a person’s gauge for what is appropriate. 

Social media teaches us what is appropriate and admirable compared to what is unacceptable, she said. When thinking about violence, she added the depictions online are often callous or are glorified, suggesting a casualness of something ultimately harmful.

“What’s so upsetting is that when violence is real, we find ourselves consuming real life tragedy as entertainment,” North said. “On social media, we lose perspective as a number of social cues are absent.” 

Supervisor Noelia Corzo, who abstained from voting, questioned if suggesting further enforcement of community guidelines, ultimately established by the social media companies, could have unintended consequences such as an increase in censorship. 

Juan Ruiz, a student who focuses on the intersections of public health and consequences of censorship, shared during public comment they have experience with social media platforms censoring marginalized voices while simultaneously failing to censor actual hate on their platforms. 

“As a student who engages in social justice within public health, there are many times where messages that are calling for liberation or true justice are subjected to that same censorship by these companies, especially when it comes to Black and brown voices,” Ruiz said.

North addressed the concern for censorship by clarifying that any enforcement of community guidelines cannot be considered censorship as social media is a private space, and therefore are not subject to principles such as the First Amendment. 

“It’s up to the owners of these private businesses to create standards,” North said. “It’s worthwhile having them make thoughtful decisions about what kind of harm is being perpetrated alongside of the good and alongside of the fun.” 

Canepa said it was important to delineate the resolution from censorship of speech, as it particularly addresses violence and that of similar nature. 

The exact wording of the resolution says to prevent or eliminate “content promoting guns, violence, racism, hate or any content that violates the community standards and guidelines.”

Supervisor Ray Mueller said he had initial concern over this resolution when considering how much time Congress spends discussing these matters and understanding the difference in that Congress has oversight and legislative authority over these companies, while the county does not. 

“Though we have testimony from a very accomplished witness, we really haven’t had a chance to consider evidence the way that an entity would that was going to act in such a manner,” Mueller said. 

However, he said that because he has paid attention to congressional hearings on similar matters, he is more comfortable moving forward in support of the resolution. He clarified to his colleagues that typically he would be hesitant to do so without the proper knowledge.

Corzo said she needed more information to make an informed decision.

“I’m just not comfortable or confident that this is the best way to move forward, especially when I don’t have enough information on what the standards are that we are asking these companies to enforce,” Corzo said. “Like Supervisor Mueller stated, there are these conversations happening at the congressional level and those hearings take hours and hours and hours, and I just don’t feel comfortable with the little information we have right now.”

The resolution ultimately passed 4-0 with one abstention. The clerk of the board is now directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to the top social media platform companies currently in operation.