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They don't have that preference because of American free speech principles; they have that preference because software is generally better in the States and the
by azernik 3y ago
They don't have that preference because of American free speech principles; they have that preference because software is generally better in the States and there aren't European competitors.
You can make all kinds of arguments about what the root causes of that are, but none of those are the actual reason Europeans use US social networks.
- nvm0n2 3y agoThere aren't meaningful gaps in software quality here, most of the "American" services and sites are half built by European workers anyway. There aren't competitors for a bunch of reasons, but the far more restrictive EU laws around speech are a big one. Europeans don't actually like or support those laws which is why they then flock to platforms that aren't so beholden to them.
- azernik 3y agoThey may be a factor in where the services are built; they are not a factor in consumer choice. It's not like there was a European Facebook competitor that users shyed away from because of European speech restrictions.
- nvm0n2 3y agoThere were such sites actually. Germany used to have one, it even looked just like Facebook and had some modest success for a time, but soon disappeared. I can't quite remember the name. Mostly in Europe people just don't set up social networks at all. The laws just aren't compatible with the concept.