Beyond the Vast Social-Media Wasteland

On May 9, 1961, then-Chair of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Newton Minow delivered a transformative speech to the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, DC.

Now known as the “Vast Wasteland” speech, it offered a public-minded vision for a fledgling sector – television broadcasting – that was quickly reshaping society. A similar vision should be applied to social-media platforms today.