> that which is too valueless to be worth spending the approximately $2 of time it costs for someone to look over a 10 second video and sign off that it's OK
The problem is that's basically all user generated content. Who's going to spend $2 vetting this comment that I'm writing right now before approving it to be shown to users by the algorithm that ranks it based on upvotes?
Sure, there will still be some high-value content out that earns enough revenue to be worth the effort. But the vast, vast majority of user generated content doesn't fall under that category.
There are details, but we can get them right if the political will is there. The big picture is that platforms should be responsible for their arbitrary and self-serving publishing and promoting decisions, while being shielded from liability when they act more like a simple common carrier.
For example, I think I'd be OK with some sort of exemption for pure-text content. Most of the problematic content out there isn't pure text.
And/or maybe trivial to describe rules like upvotes, linear historical feeds, etc need to count as an algorithm-- If it's obvious to a "reasonable person" with a high school education exactly how the content is being selected, it does not need to count as the platform making publication choices.
Focus on the big picture and the details will follow. It in no way is a takedown of a big idea to point out that implementation will require some attention to detail. The big picture of social security is "If you're too sick or old to work, we should pay you" but the details fill volumes and volumes. This is nothing new; it's how laws work.
The problem is that's basically all user generated content. Who's going to spend $2 vetting this comment that I'm writing right now before approving it to be shown to users by the algorithm that ranks it based on upvotes?
Sure, there will still be some high-value content out that earns enough revenue to be worth the effort. But the vast, vast majority of user generated content doesn't fall under that category.