Republicans, Democrats Unite Over Major Concerns of Big Tech Overreach
By Movieguide® Staff
Although tensions between the two primary political parties in the U.S.—Republican and Democrat—seem only to be increasing, a new survey revealed that the polarized groups agree on one relevant issue: Big Tech companies have too much power.
GetWizer Consumer Insights surveyed 1,500 Americans with a range of political beliefs, including conservatives, liberals, and independents.
Despite the media’s portrayal of American’s rampant disunity, the new study found that while Republicans did have a higher percentage of people concerned with Big Tech overreach, Democrats and Independents were not far behind.
Variety reported critical findings to the survey’s major questions:
Do you think Big Tech has too much power over consumers?
In total, 70% of those surveyed answered “yes,” with 77% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats answering the question in the affirmative. Moreover, 69% of Independents agreed that big tech commands too much control over consumers.
Which, if any, of the following Big Tech companies do you think have too much power?
The second central question sought to discover which specific big tech companies were the cause for the most concern.
The results showed that 80% of all participants believed that Facebook needs more accountability, with 67% agreeing about Google, 66% for Amazon, and 60% for Apple.
Variety reported:
When asked which individual companies have the most power, Facebook is the main concern for everyone. Overall, 4 of 5 Americans think CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company has too much influence, with Democrats (74%) trailing the perception that Republicans (85%) and Independents (84%) have.
Interestingly, Democrats and Republicans are a lot closer on perceptions on Google (5 percentage points difference), Amazon (3 percentage points) and Apple (1 percentage point).
Do you think the government should monitor Big Tech more closely?
When it comes to the question of the government’s role in holding big tech accountable, 73% of Democrats and 72% Republicans are in favor of increased government oversight. Independents trailed slightly with 67%.
The distrust of big tech, especially Facebook, comes after scandals of spreading misinformation and the censorship of specific political voices.
The most prominent example came at the beginning of 2021, when Facebook banned former president Donald Trump from their social media platform.
Since then, Movieguide® has reported several stories of big tech’s attack on small businesses, Hollywood actors, and others who expressed their conservative values.
Read Also: How Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Will Hold Big Tech Accountable
Read Also: The Hypocrisy of Big Tech: Twitter’s Double Standards on Full Display After Trump Ban
Read Also: Russell Brand Condemns Big Tech and Media for Suppressing Information from Voters
Movieguide® previously reported on another survey that found similar data:
A recent survey conducted by THE KIM KOMANDO SHOW shows that out of the 6,351 people across the U.S. to respond, 86% of participants no longer trust Big Tech companies.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, Big Tech companies have seen accelerated demand as the world has shifted to a more digitalized landscape. Across the board, the survey demonstrated that a majority of individuals worry that Big Tech has too much influence or know too much about our personal information, yet nearly 4 billion people use social media worldwide and the numbers continue to grow,” Kim Komando, the talk radio and podcast host, said. “I do have hope that Americans are finally waking up to the fact that when a product is free, they are in fact the product.”
According to the survey, 82.73% said that they think smart speakers listen non-stop without being “woken” up with specific words or phrases like “Alexa” or “Ok Google.”
As the media continues to parade that America is more polarized than ever before, the data shows an opposite reality.
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