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In Moderation: Automation in the Digital Public Sphere

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  • Diana Acosta Navas

    (Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago)

Abstract

The digital public forum has challenged many of our normative intuitions and assumptions. Many scholars have argued against the idea of free speech as a suitable guide for digital platforms’ content policies. This paper has two goals. Firstly, it suggests that there is a version of the free speech principle which is suitable for platforms that have adopted a commitment to free speech to guide their content curation strategies. I call it the Principle of Epistemic Resilience. Secondly, it aims to analyze some of the practical implications of the principle. It argues that upholding this principle in the digital public forum requires a comprehensive strategy, including (1) the automated removal and demotion of contents that threaten to cause serious harm; (2) changes to engagement optimization algorithms; and (3) changes to affordances inside the platform. These changes are necessary to create a fertile environment for deliberation, which is crucial to epistemic resilience. If such a comprehensive strategy is absent, platforms may actively undermine the societal value of speech.

Suggested Citation

  • Diana Acosta Navas, 2025. "In Moderation: Automation in the Digital Public Sphere," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 200(2), pages 325-341, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:200:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-024-05912-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05912-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," NBER Working Papers 23089, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Harracá, Martín & Castelló, Itziar & Gawer, Annabelle, 2023. "How Digital Platforms Organize Immaturity: A Sociosymbolic Framework of Platform Power," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 440-472, July.
    3. Hunt Allcott & Matthew Gentzkow, 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 211-236, Spring.
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