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It seems to me that platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have become the de-facto public square and therefore, freedom of speech needs to apply to t

It seems to me that platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have become the de-facto public square and therefore, freedom of speech needs to apply to them in order to have a real democracy. However, I think that a better way to approach this might be to declare the platforms to in some sense be public utilities.

orpheline 7y ago
I was just having a similar thought, alright the logistics of making that happen are helacious. Not least of which: how does one make a platform with global dominance into a national public utility? How does one split it or manage it when it had to comply with so many local laws?
theshadowknows 7y ago
It seems strange to me that something becoming popular is what means it suddenly should be regulated. Pens are very popular yet they are not regulated. And sure there are many to choose from but really Bic has a pretty extensive hold on the market. Should we regulate what people can and can not write with Bic pens? Twitter is Bic here. If Trump and his followers don’t like using Twitter then they are free to go use Mastodon.
- harimau777 7y ago
  I don't think that pens and social media are comparable in this way. Pens are a tool for writing while social media is a platform for having your writing be heard. In addition, choice of pen has no effect on the ability to communicate your message while choice of social media does. Switching from Twitter to Mastodon isn't a solution because Twitter is the place where the public discussion is taking place. Finally, writing instruments such as pens are something that anyone can easily make on their own. On the other hand, due to the required technical expertise, infrastructure, and network effects it is difficult to enter the social media market.
  - theshadowknows 7y ago
    I’ll most certainly agree that Twitter has the market cornered. But if tomorrow Trump tweeted that he was switching to TrumpNet and would only be using it from then on, how many people would join. He could create the market if he wanted to.

orpheline 7y ago

I was just having a similar thought, alright the logistics of making that happen are helacious. Not least of which: how does one make a platform with global dominance into a national public utility? How does one split it or manage it when it had to comply with so many local laws?

theshadowknows 7y ago

It seems strange to me that something becoming popular is what means it suddenly should be regulated. Pens are very popular yet they are not regulated. And sure there are many to choose from but really Bic has a pretty extensive hold on the market. Should we regulate what people can and can not write with Bic pens? Twitter is Bic here. If Trump and his followers don’t like using Twitter then they are free to go use Mastodon.

harimau777 7y ago
I don't think that pens and social media are comparable in this way. Pens are a tool for writing while social media is a platform for having your writing be heard. In addition, choice of pen has no effect on the ability to communicate your message while choice of social media does. Switching from Twitter to Mastodon isn't a solution because Twitter is the place where the public discussion is taking place. Finally, writing instruments such as pens are something that anyone can easily make on their own. On the other hand, due to the required technical expertise, infrastructure, and network effects it is difficult to enter the social media market.
- theshadowknows 7y ago
  I’ll most certainly agree that Twitter has the market cornered. But if tomorrow Trump tweeted that he was switching to TrumpNet and would only be using it from then on, how many people would join. He could create the market if he wanted to.