Meta is recalibrating content on itssocial media platforms as the politicaltide has turned in Washington, withMark Zuckerberg announcing last weekthat his company plans to fire its USfact-checkers. Fact-checking evolved inresponse to allegations ofmisinformation and is being watereddown in response to accusations ofcensorship. Social media does not havesolutions to either. Community review -introduced by Elon Musk at X andplanned by Zuckerberg for Facebookand Instagram - is not a significantimprovement over fact-checking.Having Washington lean on foreigngovernments over content moderationdoes not benefit free speech. Yet, that isthe nature of the social media beast,designed to amplify bias.

Information and misinformation continueto jostle on social media at the mercy ofuser discretion. Social media now hasenough control over all other forms ofmedia to broaden its reach. It is the connective tissue for mass consumptionof entertainment, and alternativeplatforms are reworking theirengagement with social media.Technologies are shaping up to drivethis advantage further through syntheticcontent targeted precisely at itsintended audience. Meta's algorithm willnow play up politics because it is theflavour of the season.

The Achilles' Heel of social media isinformed choice which could turnagainst misinformation. Its move awayfrom content moderation is driven bythe need to be more inclusive, yetunfiltered content can push users awayfrom social media towards legacy formsthat have better moderation systems inplace. Lawmakers across the world areunlikely to give social media a free run,even if Donald Trump is working on theircase. Protections have already been putin place across jurisdictions overmisinformation. These may be difficultto dismantle, even if the Republicanspull US-owned social media companiesfurther to the right.

Media consumption is, in essence,evidence-based judgement thatmediums must adapt to. Contentmoderation, not free speech, is theadaptation mechanism. Musk andZuckerberg are not exempt.