It's not an entirely inappropriate comparison. The similarities are obvious, and they are extremely relevant. However, relative to the days of broadsides, the

It's not an entirely inappropriate comparison. The similarities are obvious, and they are extremely relevant. However, relative to the days of broadsides, the barrier to entry for dissemination of ideas has decreased by orders of magnitude and the potential reach of such ideas has increased by orders of magnitude. It's like comparing slingshots and nuclear weapons. Yes, they're both things that let you hurt people from a distance.