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I have two problems with comparing Social Media accounts to the "Public Square". In a public square, I know who you are. You are right there in front of me. I
by FollowingTheDao 4y ago
I have two problems with comparing Social Media accounts to the "Public Square".
In a public square, I know who you are. You are right there in front of me. I can see you face and I can even follow you home.
Now look on Twitter and Mastodon and even hacker news and see how many people even use their real name?
Thesis a case where I would call for a publicly owned social media platform that adheres strictly to the first amendment but that needs I.D verification and you must use your real name. No blocking allowed at all and zero ranking, upvotes, or likes.
And let twitter and facebook and mastodon be the places where people can live in their own verification bias.
This makes me think as well, is the anonymity of social media discouraging the courage needed to state you feelings in public and to protect? Is the "safe space" of social media actually inhibiting public protest that could actually change things?
- amadeuspagel 4y agoYou're not really supposed to follow people home, and in cities public squares are (were? in the time when all these constitutional issues where hammered out?) quite anonymous. People don't know each other.
- jfengel 4y agoBut they also couldn't harass each other without consequences. The genuine anonymity of the Internet is a novel thing without easy analogies to the past.
- ImPostingOnHN 4y agocountless people are constantly harassed without consequences as a result of their names being known and participating in civics that seems like a worse alternative, especially considering it's hard to change your entire identity offline, and the harassment includes actual physical violence
- FollowingTheDao 4y ago> People don't know each other. I am sitting in a coffee shop I frequent every morning. Through the years I have been coming here I have made a lot of friendships. I know here these popped live, what they do for a living and many of their political and social views. We discuss a range of topics and we are rarely all in agreement, but it never turns into anything like on the Internet. I know people. You may not, and that is sad, but I know people.
- amadeuspagel 4y agoWhether some people know each other is besides the point. In a public square, anyone can walk in and speak, without anyone knowing them or following them home.
- FollowingTheDao 4y agoBut how would people respond to that? Did you ever see that happening in a public space? No, because being there is person holds you accountable.