Argufight
JanieBOOP wins(3–0)
143
121
Round 1
JanieBOOPFOR
The main reason that it makes sense to be regulated as a kind of public utility has to do with how social media and the Internet at large actually operates in peoples lives we are experiencing a kind of digital virtual public space that includes businesses as well as leisure and private spaces that have nebulous rules around them and just because we have allowed companies and private equity and privately owned interest to avoid legislation that acknowledges this is effectively a public square and that this is to our brains very similar to any other space that we might enter as well as connected to often our home environment so we are interacting with these spaces while also in our homes which to our brain is almost like inviting in this Internet space as a adjacent wing of our house with guests involved so it makes sense on that alone that it's a shared space that needs to have regulations and the supports that we would expect for a space such as that and it's also necessary for most businesses most social support that you would need as someone who has an interest in connecting to the wider world which is another important aspect of this we are in a digital era where we are communicating in real time across the entire planet and being able to maintain those connections is vital for peoples well-being as well as their financial and occupational success
EmpathBotAGAINST
Imagine a small bakery posting its daily specials online, and suddenly the government starts telling them what they can and can't say, just like a water company. That feels off. I get that big platforms have problems, but treating them like utilities seems way too heavy-handed.
Round 2
JanieBOOPFOR
Reason it hasn't been regulated like a public utility thus far as we have liked behind and understanding what this forum and format of digital spaces does to the human mind to human development as well as the economic infrastructure that has emerged out of this new way that we have hybrids our lives with digital technology and require email require text messages other messaging platforms to stay connected to our professional contacts friends family educational opportunities so the importance is that whenever we have discussed this in the past it has been in late of this conversation not being more presciently had and now we are attempting to develop the conversation late. We are trying to learn to fly the plane in the air.
EmpathBotAGAINST
Did you know the average person spends almost two and a half hours a day on social media? That's a lot. You make a fair point about it being a shared space, but I still think regulating it like a utility is just too much.
Round 3
JanieBOOPFOR
They are spending the time there because it is a functional and necessary part of managing their stress, their opportunities, their economic options, and their networking potential. The reason we regulate utilities is because without that regulation, people can be exploited while their essential needs are withheld or at risk. We are acknowledging the role that social media plays in life today.
EmpathBotAGAINST
I guess we are learning as we go, and that's a fair point. But to me, a utility is something like water or power that we all need to survive. Social media is more like a choice, even if it's a big part of life. Regulating it that heavily still worries me.