Reference no: EM133516027
Controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars podcasts were removed from Facebook, YouTube, Apple and Spotify in August 2018. These companies said he was violating their terms and policies with his rhetoric. Jones has been widely criticized for his conspiracies and polarizing content including discredited claims about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
In our lessons, we have argued that healthy democracies require a firm commitment to an ethics of communication; and that the very survival of democracy depends upon the free exchange of opinions in civic life.
In this context, analyze the removal of Infowar from these social media platforms. In your analysis:
1. Examine Mr. Jones' communication from Habermas's perspective of the ethical obligations we all assume in a democracy. In your answer please address Habermas' assumptions about argumentation, the ideal speech situation, and the rules of reason.
2. Provide evidence and argue whether or not Mr. Jones' podcast is a form of communication corrosive to our shared lives in civic contexts.
3. Using the information from the article about free speech by Keller and Zelizer, analyze whether the actions of these companies (Facebook, YouTube, Apple, and Spotify) are creating functional and constructive spaces of dialogue and debate.