Re: We used to use paper for communication
That something goes out without any check to world + dog
That's only because the law currently permits that with no comeback on the "publisher". Social media obviously couldn't exist in its present form without that permission, but there's no a priori reason it must exist in its present form.
There's no real technical obstacle to restricting the exchange of unedited content to small groups - which would actually cover most of the casual use of, say, Facebook - and preventing communication with a wider group unless an identified individual is prepared to take legal responsibility for it either as the author or as a moderator/editor.
Now I can fully understand that the social media outlets don't want the hassle and expense of having to confirm the identity of their more vociferous users, but in the end it may be cheaper than having to seek out objectionable material after the event: they could even charge for the privilege, but I suspect they would be reluctant to test the actual value of their "service". None of these large social media operations has an intrinsic right to exist - if there's no economic way for them to operate that is also socially responsible, then they'll have to find something else to do.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
