In a ceremony held in Berlin on Thursday, the Nebenan.de Foundation honoured 22 outstanding community projects that embody exceptional local engagement.
Since Donald Trump's US election victory in 2016, Facebook parent company Meta has endeavoured to curb misinformation and hate speech on its platforms. Now founder Mark Zuckerberg is clearly moving away from these ideals and is planning to reorganise Facebook and Instagram along the lines of X (formerly Twitter): In a video message, he announces that he will do away with fact checks in the USA in future. There should be ‘simpler rules’ and ‘fewer restrictions’. In doing so, Zuckerberg echoes right-wing populist terms that X owner Elon Musk also uses.
Meta thus leaves it up to the users to decide what is true or false. They are to place notes under the posts in ‘Community Notes’. Previously, third parties were responsible for checking the truthfulness of content. Zuckerberg also explains that references to further information on verified content will appear more discreetly from now on. Previously, users had to click away large warnings in order to see the post. The changes only apply to the USA for the time being. Whether and when Facebook users in the EU will be affected by the changes remains to be seen. Philipp Witzmann, Managing Director of nebenan.de, analyses the situation. Germany's leading neighbourhood platform has been owned by Burda since 2020.
‘My feeling about this can be summarised in one word: Concern. Zuckerberg is not reacting out of insight or a sense of responsibility, but because he wants to use the political framework in the US to his advantage. His closeness to Trump and the deliberate use of terms such as ‘censorship’ and ‘free speech’ clearly show which way the wind is blowing: it's about power and control - not about a genuine understanding of freedom of expression. For over two decades, Meta has not recognised its role as one of the central platforms for public discourse. Any change will only come through political pressure - and only if the pressure is great enough. Australia banned social media for under-16s through a new law, showing that it is possible to regulate platforms. But this lesson has not yet been learnt worldwide.’
The idea of involving users more in the moderation of social media is interesting in theory - but can only be realised in practice in an environment that reflects diversity and neutrality. On a platform like Meta, which is massively characterised by vested interests, it will probably remain an attempt to outsource responsibility. What began with X will continue with Meta: fewer rules, less control, less responsibility. The consequences will be similar: loss of trust, migrating users and an even more polarised environment.
‘Europe remains passive. While the economic and political interdependence between the state and companies is increasing in the US, Europe remains silent. There is a lack of clear measures to protect the digital space as a central place of democratic debate. This omission could have devastating consequences.’
‘Alternatives that consistently take a different approach are becoming more important than ever: platforms that prioritise transparency, the common good and genuine community instead of acting manipulatively. At nebenan.de, we see every day how useful and enriching it can be when neighbours get in touch with each other on a platform that doesn't use algorithms to manipulate people and isn't dependent on short-term political interests. This shows that things can be different. But it requires conscious decisions - both from us as users and from political and economic players. Consuming more consciously, sharing more selectively and taking clear positions - but preferably in real life. The digital space is not lost, but we all need to actively shape it!’
