• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The heiress of $10 billion Perdue Farms and the $12 billion Sheraton Hotels empire wore hand-me-downs, still rides the subway, and flies economy

2

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

3

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’

1

The heiress of $10 billion Perdue Farms and the $12 billion Sheraton Hotels empire wore hand-me-downs, still rides the subway, and flies economy

2

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

3

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’
Social Media

Social Media Does the Impossible: Unites Parties in Growing Distrust of Them

By
Erik Sherman
Erik Sherman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erik Sherman
Erik Sherman
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 19, 2018, 9:30 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Republicans, Democrats, and Independents may not be able to agree taxes, foreign policy, or immigration. But they increasingly agree that social media do more to hurt free speech and democracy than help, according to a new poll out from Axios.

The survey of 3,622 adults was conducted by SurveyMonkey earlier this month. It showed that over the last year, the adults who thought that social media helped went from 53% to 40%. The ranks of those who said the platforms hurt jumped from 43% to 57%.

Although people with different political party allegiances differed in their total assessment of social media outlets, they all shows significant and similar shifts in their outlooks. Democrats who thought the platforms were good went from 61% to 50%; the number who thought they were bad jumped from 37% to 48%.

At 52%, a majority of Republicans had already thought them a problem last year. That number now stands at 69%, while those with a positive take dropped from 45% to 30%.

Independents were in between the other two groups. Negative takes jumped from 42% to 58%; the number who thought the platforms were good now stands at 39%, versus 55% last year.

The changes in attitude come as one scandal after another has rocked the industry and Congress brought Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in for multi-hour hearings.

A poll conducted for Fortune earlier this month found that Facebook is the least trustworthy of all big tech companies regarding the safety of user data. A recent article from the New York Times that drilled into the company’s responses to multiple crises, and the actions reportedly taken by Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, led to renewed criticism. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook has now called regulation “inevitable” because free market responses failed.

And there probably isn’t an app for that.

About the Author
By Erik Sherman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.