Donald Trump will leave a number of key issues that Joe Biden will have to face

There have been a number of issues in recent times that have become mainstays of the news agenda. Brexit is one, Donald Trump is another. And Covid-19 and its impact is certainly on its way to that status.

When it comes to Trump and Brexit, the aftermath of both will be felt for a long time. With Brexit, the effects are obvious. The consequences of Trump's presidency is more to do with the broader questions it has raised.

I've written a piece discussing why the removal of Trump's personal Twitter account is not the attack of free speech the president is claiming it to be – but the issue of social media is one that will also be present during Joe Biden's stint in the White House.

Congress will be sure to ask plenty of questions about the influence of big tech, while there will certainly be more said about tackling misinformation. One of the other discussions to be had is about what an echo chamber social media can become, which can amplify the exchange of misinformation.

Parler has set itself up as an "unbiased" social network, and was briefly became the most-downloaded app in the United States after the US election. However, Amazon is set to remove the network from its web hosting service, citing dozens of posts on the site that encouraged violence. Apple and Google have already removed the app from their stores over similar concerns.

The service has become somewhat of an echo chamber of right-wing thought, and has also become a popular destination for people banned from Twitter. Trump is not a user so far, but a number of high-profile conservatives are. Texas Senator Ted Cruz boasts around 5 million followers on the platform, while Fox News host Sean Hannity has even more than that.

This splintering of political discourse into platforms that skew one or another in the majority is certainly something that looks set to continue. I would be interested to know your thoughts about what that might mean in the future.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Editor, Voices