There are plenty of reasons to champion social media. For some, they played a key role in the Arab uprisings, allowing the unheard to give voice to their struggles. In the West, too, social media are deemed increasingly vital to public life, be it President Obama’s high-profile tweeting strategy, or influential Facebook-driven campaigns. But are social media really such a force for good? Are there downsides as well? Is the private sphere being rendered all too public? What about free speech, twitchunts and kneejerk instantaneous censure online? Or are the criticisms as misplaced as the hype? Filmed at the Battle of Ideas you can use your preferred social media site to add your say.
