5 ms·

It is currently unsettling that the biggest megaphone of this country is governed by a small group of individuals in Silicon Valley.

beebmam 4y ago
So what should we do about it? Let another oligarch buy it and operate it? Why not nationalize it? Then at least the US constitution would apply, your first amendment rights would be protected, and it would truly be a public space.
- systemvoltage 4y ago
  Nationalization might work but if it were 1950-1970's US Gov. Our government used to be so badass. I have no trust in the current government's abilities and specifically the current administration. They tried to form a misinformation department which was already a disaster: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/08/24/following-hsac-recommendation-dhs-terminates-disinformation-governance-board https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/08/24/following-hsac-recommend... Responding to the comment below: > Nationalize the news? We can be just like Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela! > Who needs pesky freedom of speech anyway. We have that dude. Voice of America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America No one, atleast domestically gives a shit about it. Which is just beautiful! The most American thing ever.
  - treeman79 4y ago
    /sarcasm Nationalize the news? We can be just like Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela! Who needs pesky freedom of speech anyway.
    - guerrilla 4y ago
      All of Europe has public service. Actually most of the world does, not just authoritarian countries. Even the US has NPR, PBS and (god forbid) VOA. I'm not saying it's not all propaganda, but it's definitely not the kind you're thinking about (in most countries anyway.)
  - int_19h 4y ago
    McCarthyism was still a thing in 1950s.
- stale2002 4y ago
  There is another option. Just regulate it, like we regulate other communication networks. The phone company can't ban people for political speech from it's phone lines, and the government doesn't run into 1st amendment issues with that. Let's change the law, so that our existing laws, are expanded to apply to social media companies.
  - Covzire 4y ago
    Nobody ever gives up power willingly, especially not the tyrants. It's going to be 2023 or 2025 before anything like that happens, unless the supreme court hears a surprisingly prescient case but that's unlikely before 2025 anyway.
    - stale2002 4y ago
      > It's going to be 2023 or 2025 before anything like that happens, Not necessarily. There is already a texas social media law, that does part of what the anti-censorship crowd wants. The appeals court upheld the law, and the supreme court has not struck it down yet. That law, in 1 state alone, could have a huge effect on social media pretty soon, already.
coldpie 4y ago
The most unsettling thing is that a megaphone this big exists. We need to break up tech companies.
- chimineycricket 4y ago
  If people wanted a broken up twitter, mastodon would be more popular right now.
  - majikandy 4y ago
    Awkward name though isn’t it mastodon
- 93po 4y ago
  We need to break up billionaires

beebmam 4y ago

So what should we do about it? Let another oligarch buy it and operate it? Why not nationalize it? Then at least the US constitution would apply, your first amendment rights would be protected, and it would truly be a public space.

systemvoltage 4y ago
Nationalization might work but if it were 1950-1970's US Gov. Our government used to be so badass. I have no trust in the current government's abilities and specifically the current administration. They tried to form a misinformation department which was already a disaster: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/08/24/following-hsac-recommendation-dhs-terminates-disinformation-governance-board https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/08/24/following-hsac-recommend... Responding to the comment below: > Nationalize the news? We can be just like Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela! > Who needs pesky freedom of speech anyway. We have that dude. Voice of America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America No one, atleast domestically gives a shit about it. Which is just beautiful! The most American thing ever.
- treeman79 4y ago
  /sarcasm Nationalize the news? We can be just like Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela! Who needs pesky freedom of speech anyway.
  - guerrilla 4y ago
    All of Europe has public service. Actually most of the world does, not just authoritarian countries. Even the US has NPR, PBS and (god forbid) VOA. I'm not saying it's not all propaganda, but it's definitely not the kind you're thinking about (in most countries anyway.)
- int_19h 4y ago
  McCarthyism was still a thing in 1950s.
stale2002 4y ago
There is another option. Just regulate it, like we regulate other communication networks. The phone company can't ban people for political speech from it's phone lines, and the government doesn't run into 1st amendment issues with that. Let's change the law, so that our existing laws, are expanded to apply to social media companies.
- Covzire 4y ago
  Nobody ever gives up power willingly, especially not the tyrants. It's going to be 2023 or 2025 before anything like that happens, unless the supreme court hears a surprisingly prescient case but that's unlikely before 2025 anyway.
  - stale2002 4y ago
    > It's going to be 2023 or 2025 before anything like that happens, Not necessarily. There is already a texas social media law, that does part of what the anti-censorship crowd wants. The appeals court upheld the law, and the supreme court has not struck it down yet. That law, in 1 state alone, could have a huge effect on social media pretty soon, already.

coldpie 4y ago

The most unsettling thing is that a megaphone this big exists. We need to break up tech companies.

chimineycricket 4y ago
If people wanted a broken up twitter, mastodon would be more popular right now.
- majikandy 4y ago
  Awkward name though isn’t it mastodon
93po 4y ago
We need to break up billionaires