I think what people don’t really get is that Facebook, Twitter, etc are basically broadcast mediums. They’re not really individual communication tools, nor are

I think what people don’t really get is that Facebook, Twitter, etc are basically broadcast mediums. They’re not really individual communication tools, nor are they just public utilities like phone lines or internet services. Instead in many ways they’ve replaced TV for how many people receive news and information about the world. One or few people are able to broadcast information to millions and even billions. If we look back to the role of the FCC for example, we see the concept of Broadcast licenses. These licenses have also come with content restrictions notwithstanding the First Amendment which have held up in court. On top of that you’ve also had the FCC established rules that limited national shares of broadcast ownership in order to ensure diversification in media. All of this has suddenly been sidestepped online, and it seriously needs a rethink ASAP.