I try to spend some time talking about the cool things that are offered by the operating system. I sometimes drift away into something else. This is going to be one of those times when you read too much about Musk.
I will explain a bit about what I think. I don't like the idea of a complete division. Left/right, top/bottom, whatever. There is always room for a gray area in between and I think people that don't understand this are both unimaginative and unintelligent.
Everyone on this Earth deserves to be treated with respect and love. Everyone on this Earth needs to do their best to help themselves and others. I don't believe in an afterlife, so I think we should spend our time here being our best.
I yam what I yam.
Popeye the Sailor Man
Many will disagree with me. I don't want you to label me as a libertarian or a right-wing nut-job because that has happened many times when I talk about things that aren't libertarian.
Let's talk about free speech, what it means, and how it applies to a social media entity.
Each and every one of us has a different definition of free speech. The protections offered to citizens of the U.S. under the Constitution and its amendments have nothing to do with what Musk means when he says he will bring free speech to Twitter.
The first amendment does not apply here.
The first amendment applies more to the company than it does to you. This is because the government can not take away your right to voice your opinion on things that are not harmful. The Supreme Court of the U.S. has decided that the company can censor you at their own discretion, and that the government can't interfere.
The first amendment protects yelling fire in a crowded theater, just like racial slurs and other speech that makes people uncomfortable. What is not covered in full under the first amendment is categorized into one of the following.
No one outside of the United States is covered by first amendment protections and no one has to allow any speech that is not covered by first amendment protections.
What Musk is referring to when he says "free speech" is that the social network should stop censoring anything that isn't illegal. You would not be allowed to commit fraud or make a threat of physical harm if you said something that made me uncomfortable.
Maybe this won't mean anything for the micro-messaging service. Musk is a genius but tries hard to act like a fool. Sometimes that makes a person seem lovable but other times it makes them look like a jerk. For many people, Musk fits the latter definition, and that's why so many are up in arms.
I think nothing will change because Musk doesn't buy anything without a plan to make large amounts of cash. There are many ways to monetize the data that was willingly given by users of the social network. Driving users away in large amounts is not a good idea.
Twitter only exists to gather information about you and make money from that information, just like every other big tech company.
It will be very difficult to work around the current laws on personal public speech around the world. The EU and the U.K. have their own set of rules, as do India, South Africa, and Brazil, as well as many other countries and states. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
I understand. Musk has a reputation for saying "free speech" in the way he says it. I am wrong as often as I am right because I think everything will be business as usual. This could be one of those times.
I have read all the fuss and found that people are concerned about a few things when it comes to free-speech on the internet.
Misinformation is the biggest worry. There are legitimate fears that things like election or medical misinformation, as well as actual and harmful misinformation like drinking your own urine as a cure for COVID, could run rampant. These things will get your account suspended. Instead of letting people refute those claims, it would nip them in the bud because they have produced harmful outcomes.
Impersonation is high on the list. When it comes to producing deep fakes where a person is placed into a video they had nothing to do with, manipulating video and photos is trivial. People have impersonated another person on the social networking site. These things are free speech. It is up to the courts to decide if a reputation was damaged or if fraud was committed. You can legally do it in the U.S.
Speech doesn't have to be illegal to be distasteful or harmful to others.
Non-consensual nudity and graphic nudity are concerns. Currently, there are no laws that prohibit the use of the word "excessively gory" or the depiction of sexual violence on the social networking site. Non-consensual nudity and other intimate photos distributed without consent are completely legal and would be covered under a totally free speech venture.
Promoting violence is one of the things that people worry about under Musk's free speech rules. I can say that I wish a true patriot would kill a neighbor who mows the lawn too early on a Saturday morning. This doesn't break any laws. I am not allowed to say that I want you to drive to my house and do it for me, or that I actually plan on doing it. That is not allowed in the U.S., where Twitter is currently located.
I can't see much of this happening. Some political figures may be able to get their account back on social media. So what? It is trivial to block people who claim Jewish Space Lasers cause fires. Life is too short to worry about people being stupid. Maybe someone out there doesn't think they are stupid and would like to read about the lasers. It can be dealt with by the right people if it becomes an actual problem.
If enough people care, the free speech of a person would be taken away, because social media companies can only exist if the herd approves of the message.
Twitter will always be forced to follow the wishes of the herd or risk the herd moving on to another pasture.
A large mass of users is what makes a company profitable. Users to pay a subscription model, users to relinquish personal data, and users to promote and share the service so more users will come. One of the first things a lot of people do when they buy a new phone is install the Twitter app.
The policy of the company will change if it becomes too hostile to too many people. The social media company is like a club and only exists as long as its members are present. We have seen what happens when someone tries to build out a new social media site and the interest is not there.
You can still vote with your wallet and feet even if you don't pay with physical dollars.
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