> the free flow of information also leads to some pretty terrible things

Being alive is a prerequisite to being able to suffer, die, etc. None of the things you listed are unique to free flows of information, in fact misinformation and propaganda are even worse in a closed loop of information.

Look at North Korea, and tell me that they'd be worse off propaganda-wise if they had unfettered access to internet.

> The free flow of information is undoubtedly being used for harm.

No, the entities flooding social media have also flooded all the pre-internet, closed-loop media as well. Right-wing propaganda like Fox News, Alex Jones (first started his radio show in 1996), and literally the entire Cold War-era Red Scare propaganda, on radio and tv, all predated social media. And those were not free-flow channels, the information they put out was 100% controlled by the owners.