I one time read book that had 4 columns on every page. It was the hardest thing I read. It was a Amazon createspace for some out of print Modernist work (Tarr by Wyndham Lewis), get the Oxford Classics edition which you can now buy on Amazon.
my criticism on some of the potential solutions addressed in the article (number = number in the article):
1. stop the spread of fake new: This has already been happening, most of big offenders are gone (e.g Alex Jones) but what should be noted is that this can (and has) lead to backlash. The fake news ive seen always comes from tiny accounts that have unexpectedly viral content usually taken and reworded from banned sources (Alex Jones et al), I don't think cracking down on the most prolific offenders will necessarily be the fix. The actual report is way clearer and thorough on this then the article.
3. Lack of regulation for social media companies: I feel like if their is global regulation (which there should be) many countries will just ban it (e.g China, Turkey and Russia) and still lead to the same balkanization.
5. polarizing Algorithms: I don't think slowing online interactions will solve this. If someone wants to be racist they will be racist. I think this will just bring annoyance.
6. better social media business models: they say that they worry that "the best, fact-checked information is available only behind a paywall" but that is already the case!
I recommend people go to the actual report, the 25 solutions is on page 16
according to this article from the columbia journalism review:
“For 10 years I interviewed engineers and scientists about new technologies and renewable energies. And I kind of learned during that period that, well, it doesn’t really work,” De Decker tells CJR from his home in Barcelona. Around the same time, De Decker stopped flying, opting instead to travel by train, boat, or bike. Readers would sometimes remark that while the magazine preached an ethos of low-tech, it still relied on the most prominent of high tech inventions: the internet.