Important public questions that need serious attention and focus.
How can we transform social media users from passive recipients to active citizens with control over their information environment?
Current social media systems position users as passive recipients of algorithmically-curated content rather than active members of a community. Users lack transparency about why they see specific content and have no control over the selection process. Two potential solutions exist: (1) A technical approach requiring platforms to make algorithms transparent and allow users to create their own algorithms or influence content selection - essentially regulation that provides access and control without censorship; (2) A grassroots movement approach, similar to successful movements like removing phones from schools, where communities organize to change how technology is used in society. [1]
Intelligence is no guarantee of goodness or even of wisdom. History shows no clear correlation between intelligence and compassion or clear-sighted understanding of reality. As we create superintelligent AI systems, we face the challenge that they may be super-deluded rather than super-wise. Technology now enables unprecedented manipulation of human desires and thoughts - big tech uses surveillance for profit, corrupting the very ways we connect with each other. Liberal democracy lacks frameworks to address this. Solutions require: (1) Rebuilding trust in human institutions and media; (2) Rejecting surveillance-for-profit business models; (3) Anchoring news organizations in their communities; (4) Individual responsibility to do the hard work - choosing specific areas to focus on rather than assuming reality will automatically prevail over falsehood. We cannot rely on intelligence alone to create good outcomes; wisdom and ethical frameworks must be deliberately embedded in how we develop and deploy technology. [2]
The death of journalism may be within six months to a year (as of October 2025). The internet is deteriorating daily with no guardrails in place, even as news organizations are forced to pay while their content is exploited by tech platforms. This predatory online world translates directly to the physical world we inhabit. Without independent journalism to expose abuses of power and maintain accountability, the integrity of elections and democracy itself becomes questionable. Potential solutions: (1) Building alternative platforms - chat apps and community-anchored news ecosystems that resist surveillance capitalism; (2) Shifting journalistic practice from "he said, she said" neutrality to fact-based truth-telling that directly calls out lies; (3) Embracing technology while calling out where it is wrong; (4) Community support for independent journalism through direct funding rather than reliance on advertising models that enable manipulation. [2]
[1] Anne Applebaum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y3_YMGx-Sc [2] Yuval Noah Harari, Rory Stewart, Maria Ressa - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/04/how-to-live-a-good-life-in-difficult-times-yuval-noah-harari-rory-stewart-and-maria-ressa-in-conversation