In a jarring display of unchecked influence and political maneuvering, corporations and billionaires have overtly acquired social media platforms like X and Meta, turning these spaces into conduits for hateful content, propaganda, and misinformation. These efforts even fueled the rise of demagogues like Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Donald Trump.
With no effective mechanisms in place to regulate them, social media platforms now risk unraveling into tools that prioritize private interests over public discourse.
Buying influence
Social media platforms are not entirely “free.” While users pay no upfront costs, they surrender something far more valuable: personal data. Dr. Briane Paul Samson, assistant professor of the Department of Software Technology, explains that to generate revenue, “they (the social media platforms) transform themselves into advertising platforms.” For these advertisements to reach the right audience, social media platforms collect data on user activity and deploy algorithms to curate highly targeted content.
The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018 was a warning. It highlighted how social media can be co-opted into a tool for harvesting personal data and spreading misinformation by government entities and corporations alike. The same algorithms that push product advertisements now radicalize users and deepen political divisions.
These risks are heightened when platforms are owned by powerful moguls who do not have the public’s best interests in mind. The most egregious example is Tech magnate Elon Musk’s acquisition of X, formerly Twitter, which became a notorious hub for disinformation.
Musk has wielded his influence to champion his preferred political candidates, directly interfering with the democratic processes of various nations. Under the guise of “free speech,” he dissolved the platform’s Trust and Safety Council and gutted its moderation systems. Far from fostering a neutral space, these changes have only created a toxic online environment, rife with threats, abuse, and privacy violations that often go unpunished.
Lacking accountability
When billionaires privatize social media platforms, major changes occur in the dynamics of information flow and content moderation. While still profit-driven, public companies must answer to shareholders and face greater regulatory scrutiny. In contrast, private owners strip away many of these checks and balances, aligning platform policies with their personal views rather than what’s best for social media users.
The consequences of this are already evident. In January 2025, Meta followed Musk’s example and ended partnerships with third-party fact-checkers, pivoting to a “community-driven” model of content moderation.
This trend suggests that even publicly traded companies are adopting the cost-cutting, less restrictive approaches of privately owned companies to appease shareholders. By moving from expert review to crowdsourced corrections, both Meta and X have abandoned efforts to actively remove harmful content.
Samson flags the fundamental problem with this approach: “If people ignore the community notes, it’s still possible for them to believe what the original post is saying.” This selective moderation method fosters an environment where certain narratives—particularly those aligned with the owner’s personal interests—can thrive without restraint, while the truth becomes an afterthought.
Despite dramatic platform changes, the strategic value in these acquisitions becomes apparent when considering user behavior. “It’s not gonna be easy for people to just let go of the platform, because they already have the community there,” Samson observes. This lock-in effect means that platform owners are allowed to implement significant policy changes with minimal risk of user loss, effectively securing a large audience for their preferred messaging.
Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence into these platforms raises greater concerns, as these systems are trained on vast datasets that are often collected without meaningful consent. Samson points out, “They basically scraped everything on the internet,” disregarding established digital boundaries. This fusion of data collection and algorithmic amplification grants platforms an unrivaled power to shape public perception and, ultimately, political outcomes.
The need to regulate
Reclaiming control over billionaire-owned platforms requires action on multiple fronts. At the individual level, practicing digital literacy and critically evaluating how and where we engage online can help limit exposure to these manipulative systems. But personal vigilance alone is no match for the complex algorithmic targeting and powerful network effects that keep the users locked in.
Regulations also show mixed results. Ordinances like Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation demonstrate partial success by requiring opt-in consent and data transparency, yet these strong regulations still struggle to hold global platforms truly accountable.
In the Philippines, jurisdictional issues complicate enforcement against crimes like digital abuse or exploitation, especially when perpetrators operate from abroad, making prosecution nearly impossible. When asked about realistic solutions, Samson expresses pessimism: “I don’t think there is a realistic [solution] right now. Unfortunately, [it’s] because we have zero control over these platforms.”
However, resignation is not an option. What is needed now is a reimagining of platform governance. These information monopolies have immense power over how people communicate and what they believe in. Given their scale and influence, major social media platforms should function like core infrastructure for public discussions, rather than a playground for billionaires.
These platforms must be held to higher standards, with transparent algorithms and unbiased supervision. Anything less is a threat to democracy itself, leaving no space for personal privacy and healthy media to thrive.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Vanguard Special 2025. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSVanguardSpecial2025.
