A Systematic Framework for Policy Analysis in Social Media Governance

Abstract

Social media platforms are characterized by significant economic power and a vast userbase. In recent years, social media platforms have self-regulated in a variety of ways to respond to public concerns about their operations. This article seeks to help fill this gap by applying a systematic framework of policy analysis that is both conceptually grounded and practical in nature. The goal of such a comparison is to improve understanding of these strategies of intervention while weighing their relative advantages and deficiencies for dealing with the controversy that surrounds the social media industry. The product of this analysis is a description and appraisal of leading regulatory alternatives — from limited to more comprehensive in scope — with respect to key evaluative criteria of a technical and normative nature. This analysis has sought to synthesize several strands of research related to Internet governance and the proliferating field of platform studies.