The Networked Leviathan
The Networked Leviathan
Governments and consumers expect internet platform companies to regulate their users to prevent fraud, stop misinformation, and avoid violence. Yet, so far, they've failed to do so. The inability of platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon to govern their users has led to stolen elections, refused vaccines, counterfeit N95s in a pandemic, and even genocide. Such failures stem from these companies' inability to manage the complexity of their userbases, products, and their own incentives under the eyes of internal and external constituencies. The Networked Leviathan argues that countries should adapt the institutional tools developed in political science to democratize the major platforms. Democratic institutions allow knowledgeable actors to freely share and apply their understanding of the problems they face while leaders more readily recruit third parties to help manage their decision-making capacity. This book is also available Open Access on Cambridge Core. For more information, visit https://networked-leviathan.com.
- Offers a bold proposal to democratize social media and other platforms
- Connects theories of governance from political science with contemporary problems in the area of internet platforms
- Available Open Access on Cambridge Core
Reviews & endorsements
'Platform governance is hard. With The Networked Leviathan, Gowder brings a fresh perspective on how companies can tackle difficult questions around content moderation in a way that engages more people around the world. It's a must-read for anyone working in tech.' Katie Harbath, Founder and CEO, Anchor Change
'Let's be honest; academic books tend to be dry, unnecessarily long, and hard to slog through. We're lucky, but should not be surprised, that Paul Gowder's book heartily bucks that norm. No one else can weave philosophical theories of governance and virtue, practical technical understanding of platforms, and political science into such a compelling package. Bravo!' Sahar Massachi, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Integrity Institute
'… provides strong justification for democratic governance of platforms - at least when it comes to executing tasks whose successful completion is in the interest of both companies and the public - that's grounded in a century's worth of political theory.' Surya Gowda, www.promarket.org
Product details
August 2023Paperback
9781108971904
300 pages
230 × 153 × 16 mm
0.394kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction: The Perils of Platform Misgovernance
- 1. The Nature and Problems of Platforms
- 2. The Enterprise of Platform Governance Development
- 3. The Problem of Platform Knowledge
- 4. The Problem of Platform Self-Control
- 5. Actually Existing Platform Self-Constraint Up to a Point: The Meta Oversight Board
- 6. Platform Democracy Now!
- Conclusion: How Liberal-Democratic Governments Can Act Now.
