UF Office of Public Policy Events to hold debate about regulating cancel culture

The University of Florida is hosting a free debate titled “Cancel Culture: The U.S. Federal Government Has a Duty to Regulate and, If Necessary, Ban Social Media Platforms That Allow the Spread of Harmful Misinformation” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the Reitz Union Auditorium.

The event will be led by the UF Office of Public Policy Events — in partnership with the Speech and Debate Society and the William and Grace Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies —  and is sponsored by the College of Journalism and Communications with support from the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education.

Social media is ubiquitous in contemporary society. According to the Pew Research Center, 54% of Americans get their news from social media sources. As the digital landscape progresses and reliance upon these sources grows, so do concerns about the spread of harmful disinformation. One proposed solution to combat this trend is to encourage federal regulation of social media sites, but the ethical and practical merits of this proposal are highly debated among scholars and international policymakers.

To address this important topic, two teams of two students from UF’s Speech and Debate Society will engage in a structured debate, moderated by second-year history student Joseph Varco. 

Ariana Perez, a first-year political science student, and Elie Literski, a third-year history and political science student and current Florida state debate champion, will face off against second-year international studies student Ajay Pooran and second-year English student Ashlynn Cechowski. 

The judging panel will feature prominent UF figures including Steve Orlando, the associate vice president of communications in the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing; Christine Bucan, a professional-in-residence in the Department of Public Relations in the College of Journalism and Communications; Jieun Shin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Media Production, Management, and Technology in the College of Journalism and Communications; Michael Harmon, Ph.D., an assistant instructional professor in the Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies; and James Hooks, D.Phil., the assistant director for the Hamilton Center. 

A reception with the debaters and judges will immediately follow the event. Faculty, students, staff, and community members are encouraged to attend. The event will be recorded and posted online.