Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa on the dangers of Facebook and the 'virus of lies' on social media

Maria Ressa says the war for our minds must be addressed, criticising the power social media companies have over our daily information intake. Photo / 123RF

Nobel Peace prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa has waded into the debate surrounding the future of social media, shining light on the potential threats of giant companies controlling information sharing platforms.

Ressa, who was in October awarded the Nobel prize alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov for their "courageous fight for freedom of expression, a precondition for democracy and lasting peace", warned there is "something fundamentally wrong with our information ecosystem", particularly on websites like Facebook which has now become the world's largest delivery platform for news.

The Philippines-based reporter, who was awarded the prize for her reporting on Rodrigo Duterte controversial anti-drug campaign, accused social media platforms of being inherently biased against certain issues, calling for administrators to rethink their content moderation process.

"The platforms that deliver the facts are actually biased against the facts," she said on a panel at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Sydney Dialogue.

"We need to move away from content moderation and move upstream to where the design of the platform actually introduces the virus of lies in the information ecosystem. I don't think anyone would want to see the status quo continue. The short term – right now – is untenable and we need to find the solutions now."

Maria Ressa claims social media platforms have become a 'behaviour modification system'. Photo / Getty

Ressa claims social media platforms have become a "behaviour modification system", and should be brought under more scrutiny as platforms for news. The conflict of interest emerging from social media companies attempting to retain users, while also providing an unbiased platform for information, has long been an issue plaguing the minds of freedom of information advocates.

"There's something fundamentally wrong with our information ecosystem because the platforms that deliver the facts are actually biased against the facts. The world's largest delivery platform for news is Facebook, and social media in general has become a behaviour modification system."

Ressa founded Rappler in 2012, which has grown to become one of the Philippines' most read news outlets. The publication has fearlessly scrutinised the Duterte regime's attack on freedom and information, including the reported manipulation of social media and search engines.

"I think what the tech platforms have shown is exactly how easy it is to use technology to manipulate human biology," she said. "[Technology] is thinking word for word faster than any human being ever can. And you're not going to be able to get AI to fix the problems that human beings have created."

Ressa said the world must begin to reassess the power of information technology can have on the future, boldly comparing the social media phenomenon to the atom bomb.

"Post World War II, we didn't want World War III with atom bombs. That has already happened in our information ecosystem. It is manipulating our minds," she said.

Ressa says she has faced an ongoing barrage of harassment online and in the courts in response to her work. The acclaimed journalist is up against a long list of legal battles, including alleged tax evasion and defamation. She is currently out on bail appealing against a six-year prison sentence for a libel conviction.

"Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines," the Nobel Committee noted in announcing the award in October.

"As a journalist and the Rappler's CEO, Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression. Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime's controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign."

I've been getting up at 5am since April to write before beginning each day's work. It's cathartic, horrific, and very inspiring :) #CourageON #HoldTheLine Thanks, @hollydrawsinink, for cover design & look forward to working together, @hanateraiewood! https://t.co/xuNqTHOwSG pic.twitter.com/RQUlvXnavR

— Maria Ressa (@mariaressa) September 15, 2021