Big Brands and the Quiet War on Dissent

Meta Platforms’ recent pivot on content moderation has reignited the debate over the outsized influence advertisers wield in shaping the digital landscape. While CEO Mark Zuckerberg has recently pushed the loosening of speech restrictions, accusing the legacy media of pushing censorship and calling out fact-checkers for eroding public trust, the reality is that advertisers remain the most powerful force dictating what users see—or don’t see—on major platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

But let’s not get carried away.