The Free Speech Era

Ryan Heshmati

January 10, 2025

This week, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg outlined a major announcement in a published video about changes in content moderation on Meta’s platforms in response to what he says feels like “a new era now.” Zuckerberg asserted that the recent 2024 elections indicate a yearning to reprioritize free speech and a move away from what he seemed to characterize as excessive content moderation and censorship. He announced fact-checking will be replaced with Community Notes in the manner of Elon Musk’s X platform. Further, he announced that the company would move teams responsible for content moderation out of California and into Texas to reduce perceptions of bias. 

Zuckerberg’s words marked a major change of tone from dominant mainstream rhetoric calling for restrictions on posts as necessary to protect democracy against misinformation. In his video, in addition to observing “a cultural tipping point” with the 2024 elections, he expressed regret that, “What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas. And it’s gone too far.” It appears that while for several years mainstream rhetoric and major American institutions were in support of more restrictions on speech to protect Americans from falsehoods and intolerance, there is a counterwave in the opposite direction, defending the exchange of “different ideas” and criticizing a charge in favor of “inclusivity” that has amounted to the silencing of many individuals. 

The timing, just days away from President-elect Trump’s inauguration, is incredibly significant. If corporate and personal contributions to Trump’s inaugural fund weren’t proof enough, this announcement affirms the corporate world, at least to some degree, plans to embrace a second Trump term. Zuckerberg’s final notes signaled, “We are going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world, going after American companies and pushing to censor more.” The reversal of Trump’s treatment by many in the corporate world is astounding; the same man once suspended from Facebook is now being told with optimism that its parent company plans to work with him to protect free speech.

Without a doubt, the world was watching in November. When Trump and the Republican party swept with victories for the White House, and in both houses of Congress, their success seemingly ignited a major reflection among corporate decision-makers in the United States. With a victory that, unlike in 2016, included the popular vote, it looks like the likes of Meta are trying to adjust to a public that is looking for change. However, with the move toward less content moderation comes risks. Zuckerberg concedes that the shift will result in less problematic content being removed, but that is the price, he argues, for keeping the voices of countless others heard. Ultimately, only time will tell whether these policy changes really further free speech on a large scale into a “new era.” Until then, users will have to wait and hope it turns out that way.