š±š„ Who Gets to Govern the Feed? Maybe itās time we did.
Letās get real about Digital Citizenship & Conflict on Social Media š„š§
Do you ever scroll through Twitter or X, ugh š, or TikTok and feel like youāre watching a never-ending battlefield in 4K? One second itās memes, the next itās cancel culture, disinformation, bots, and beefs blowing up over literally anything. But beneath all the drama is a deeper question: Who really governs our online spaces, and how are we as users part of it? Letās break it down.
First off, digital citizenship isnāt just about being polite online or citing your sources in a discussion thread. Itās about how we, as internet users, engage responsibly, ethically, and critically in digital environments. That includes knowing how algorithms shape what we see, recognizing fake news, and understanding power dynamics between platforms, users, and governments (Ribble & Shaaban, 2011).
Conflict online is baked into the system. From culture wars to celebrity takedowns, social platforms amplify outrage because it drives clicks and keeps people engaged. Algorithms often reward conflict over consensus (Tufekci, 2015). Ever noticed how controversial posts get way more traction than calm, nuanced takes? Yeah, thatās not an accident.
But itās not just interpersonal drama. Think about how protest movements like #BlackLivesMatter or #FreePalestine are policed by platforms, shadowbanned, flagged, or demonetized, while hate speech can fly under the radar if itās āprofitable.ā Thatās because platform governance isnāt neutral, and moderation is often more about PR and profit than justice (Gillespie, 2018).
š®āāļø So Whoās in Charge?
Youād think the internet is the Wild West, but there are actually layers of governance happening:
⢠Platform Rules (TOS, community guidelines, algorithmic moderation)
⢠Government Laws (think Malaysiaās MCMC, EUās DSA, U.S. Section 230)
⢠Community Norms (call-outs, blocklists, meme codes of conduct)
All of these layers can clash. Like when activists get banned for violating āhate speechā policies while calling out actual hate speech. Or when governments use digital laws to crack down on dissent under the guise of āfake news regulationā (Bradshaw et al., 2020).
š¬ What Can We Do? (Because Weāre Not Helpless)
Being passive wonāt cut it anymore. If youāre here on Tumblr, arguably one of the OG digital counterpublics, you already know the value of curating safe spaces, calling out harmful content, and pushing back against exploitative moderation.
So:
⢠š¹ Educate yourself & others on how algorithms work
⢠š¹ Amplify marginalized voices & community-led content policies
⢠š¹ Demand transparency from platforms
⢠š¹ Organize, because collective action does change policy
Digital citizenship isnāt just about being nice onlineā
itās about understanding the systems that shape our digital lives and taking responsibility for how we engage.
Social media platforms arenāt neutral spaces; theyāre governed by complex layers of rules, algorithms, and power dynamics. But we have the power to influence these spaces by educating ourselves, holding platforms accountable, and advocating for change.
Letās work together to make social media a safer and more inclusive space for everyone.
Bradshaw, S. (2020). Industrialized Disinformation 2020 Global Inventory of Organized Social Media Manipulation. Oxford Internet Institute.
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the internet: Platforms, content moderation, and the hidden decisions that shape social media. Yale University Press.
Ribble, M., & Shaaban, A. (2011). Digital Citizenship in Schools Second Edition. ResearchGate.
Tufekci, Z. (2015). Algorithmic Harms Beyond Facebook and Google: Emergent Challenges of Computational Agency. Colorado Technology Law Journal.