If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you found it through social media. Perhaps it was via a friend’s share or a suggestion from the algorithm, but either way, social media has undeniably transformed how we consume news, engage in debates — and participate in our democracy.
The media landscape has changed quite a bit since 1787, when the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution and enshrined the First Amendment as a safeguard against tyranny. They understood that without a free press and the ability to challenge authority, democracy would collapse.
More than two centuries later, our information ecosystem has transformed in ways they never could have imagined. Instead of town squares and printing presses, we now have social media platforms owned by a handful of billionaires. Instead of trained journalists vetting stories before publication, we have algorithms prioritizing engagement over truth. When billionaires control public discourse, the First Amendment’s core function — to empower the people — is distorted.
Today, more than 54 percent of Americans get their news from social media. That means the companies that own these platforms hold immense power over public perception.
This level of influence would be concerning under any circumstances, but it becomes outright dangerous when the owners of these platforms also have particular political and economic interests at stake. Billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are not neutral arbiters of truth; they are business magnates with financial and political incentives. Their content moderation decisions are not impartial — they shape public opinion in ways that serve their own interests. And combined, Musk and Zuckerberg control over 77 percent of the social media market. This concentration of power tilts public discourse away from truth and accountability, eroding trust in democracy itself.
The gendered impact of misinformation
Misinformation does not impact all demographics equally — women and underestimated groups are disproportionally adversely impacted.
- Online Harassment and Disinformation Campaigns: Seventy-three percent of women journalists have experienced online violence, including doxxing and coordinated smear campaigns. Women political candidates disproportionately face online disinformation than men. Elon Musk’s X has reinstated misogynistic influencers, fueling a rise in anti-feminist narratives. TikTok’s algorithm disproportionately pushes divisive content, steering young men toward misogynistic and extremist influencers.
- Health Misinformation: Social media platforms became breeding grounds for COVID-19 vaccine misinformation targeting pregnant women. Misinformation about contraception and reproductive health spreads faster than verified medical data, putting women’s health at risk.
- Economic Disparities: Women entrepreneurs rely on social media for business growth, yet Facebook’s algorithm was found to prioritize ads featuring men over women, perpetuating economic inequality.
When fact-checking mechanisms collapse, misinformation reinforces gender inequities: discouraging women from politics, distorting public health information, and limiting economic opportunities.
The erosion of fact-checking
Initially, social media companies responded to criticism by partnering with fact-checking organizations. Facebook worked with PolitiFact and Snopes, X introduced misinformation labels, and YouTube demonetized false claims. But in 2025, these protections were systematically dismantled:
- X eliminated fact-checking labels and trust teams. Elon Musk also dismantled most of Twitter’s moderation after buying the company, leading to a 69 percent increase in new accounts following misogynistic content and a surge in hate speech.
- Meta deprioritized fact-checking partnerships and replaced them with a crowdsourced “Community Notes” system.
- YouTube relaxed policies on election misinformation.
- Google, Amazon, and Meta have all scaled back their DEI programs, reducing internal accountability on gendered disinformation and algorithmic bias.
Why? Because fact-checking reduces engagement, and in a business model where engagement drives revenue, there’s no financial incentive to curb viral falsehoods. The result? A media landscape where lies travel faster than truth with consequences that ripple across society.
Democratic and societal implications
Unchecked misinformation doesn’t just muddy the waters — it actively erodes democracy. When billionaires control the spread of information, democracy suffers in three key ways:
- Erosion of an Informed Electorate: Democracy depends on well-informed citizens making decisions based on accurate information. Eighty-seven percent of people struggle to distinguish between factual and false information online, underscoring how misinformation effectively confuses the electorate and distorts public perception. When misinformation spreads unchecked, it skews public perception and decision-making.
- Suppression of Diverse Voices: Platforms controlled by a homogenous group can lead to biased content moderation. For example, Instagram failed to act on 93 percent of abusive comments directed at women in politics. Reinstating accounts that propagate hate speech while silencing dissenting voices curates a narrative that reflects the owners’ biases, often excluding women and minority groups.
- Undermining Institutional Trust: Pervasive misinformation erodes public trust in media, governmental bodies, and scientific institutions. This erosion is particularly detrimental to gender equity, as women and underestimated communities already face challenges in establishing credibility within these institutions.
The unchecked power of social media billionaires is not just a technology issue — it’s a democracy issue. But this crisis is not inevitable — there are solutions.
What can be done?
To combat this growing threat, we need systemic changes that require coordinated efforts:
- Legislative Oversight: Governments should implement regulations mandating transparency in social media algorithms and enforce robust misinformation mitigation strategies. The European Union’s Digital Services Act serves as a potential model for such oversight.
- Independent Fact-Checking Bodies: Establish publicly funded, nonpartisan fact-checking organizations that operate independently of social media companies to serve as authoritative sources for verifying information.
- Algorithmic Accountability: Social media platforms must be transparent about how their algorithms prioritize content and be held accountable for the dissemination of harmful misinformation.
- Promoting Gender Inclusion in Leadership: Increasing the representation of women in media and technology leadership positions can lead to more equitable decision-making processes and content moderation policies.
- Public Education and Media Literacy: Empower users with the skills to critically evaluate information through comprehensive media literacy programs, enabling them to discern credible sources from misinformation.
But change will only happen if we demand it.
We are at a crossroads. If a handful of billionaires control the flow of information unchecked, democracy, truth, and public trust will erode. The abandonment of fact-checking and the prioritization of engagement over accuracy fuel disinformation, deepen gender disparities, and silence marginalized voices.
The First Amendment was meant to empower the people, not protect profits at the expense of truth. A truly democratic digital space requires diverse leadership, accountability, and equity — not a media landscape shaped by the whims of a few.
Democracy is not just about casting a vote — it’s about ensuring the information shaping those votes is accurate and fair. Truth is the bedrock of a free society, and without it, democracy cannot survive.
Katica Roy is a gender economist and the CEO and co-founder of Pipeline, a SaaS platform that leverages AI to drive economic gains through closing the gender equity gap.
