Should we boycott Spotify? Its top podcast has 11 million listeners. It also has a record of airing false claims about the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines and unproven treatments.
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Neil Young leaves music giant in Covid row
Should we boycott Spotify? Its top podcast has 11 million listeners. It also has a record of airing false claims about the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines and unproven treatments.
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Should we boycott Spotify?
Yes: Misinformation is the ill of our time. Powerful companies have a duty to fight it. By failing to take up its sword and prioritise profit over truth, Spotify has failed. It should be punished.
No: The press has always published opinion alongside fact. Why should podcasts be any different? It is naive to imagine a world without untruths and it is our own responsibility to choose what to believe.
Or... Boycotting Spotify would hurt all the artists who rely on it as a source of income. Instead of banning it completely, we should pressure it to clearly signpost podcasts that contain misinformation.
Keywords
Spotify - The Swedish audio streaming platform has over 381 million monthly active users. It was named after one of its two founders misheard a name the other suggested.
Misinformation - Incorrect or misleading information unintentionally presented as fact. It can be contrasted with disinformation or deliberate lies.
Boycott - To withdraw relations from an organisation as a punishment or protest. The word comes from the surname of a Victorian Irish landlord who was subject to a boycott from poor farmers who demanded rent reduction.
No-platform - To boycott a group or individual by removing the platforms through which they share information.
Freedom of speech - The right to say, write and communicate thoughts and ideas without fear of censorship or reprisal.
Neil Young leaves music giant in Covid row
Glossary
Spotify - The Swedish audio streaming platform has over 381 million monthly active users. It was named after one of its two founders misheard a name the other suggested.
Misinformation - Incorrect or misleading information unintentionally presented as fact. It can be contrasted with disinformation or deliberate lies.
Boycott - To withdraw relations from an organisation as a punishment or protest. The word comes from the surname of a Victorian Irish landlord who was subject to a boycott from poor farmers who demanded rent reduction.
No-platform - To boycott a group or individual by removing the platforms through which they share information.
Freedom of speech - The right to say, write and communicate thoughts and ideas without fear of censorship or reprisal.