The Progressive Liberal Left is apoplectic about Elon Musk and Twitter suspending the accounts of six journalists for seven days. The cries of censorship are loud and critical of Musk’s actions in the light of his proclaiming the new Twitter is a platform based on the first amendment and freedom of speech.
There are so many things about this situation to mull over.
My first thought is that we have given Twitter, and every social platform, far too much importance in life and politics. The key word is social. Computer geeks initially set these up to share ideas, pictures, and videos and create a virtual circle of friends. Facebook was a fun project designed by then student Marc Zuckerberg to rate girls on the Harvard campus. The public gained access, and now there are billions of users, making Zuckerberg a wealthy man. Now you would be hard-pressed to find someone’s cellphone that doesn’t have a combination of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and, unfortunately, TikTok installed. These programs have generations of addicted followers.
For many people, these social platforms have replaced face-to-face relationships. People have a different persona on these programs when what they say is from a keyboard and not from their lips. It has created a new sense of bravado. The biggest problem is that people do not take the step to vet what they read online. Most believe that if it is in print or online, it must be fact. There is a false sense of credibility online.
These programs belong to the developer, owner, or company that controls the program or app. In a way, they can do whatever they want with content, except that the government has given these platforms specific tax considerations as long as they are an open platform. Once someone like Musk starts moderating content, they should lose these monetary breaks.
None of the people upset about these “journalists” suspensions were up in arms about the permanent banning of President Trump. None of these people have an issue with Ayatollah Khamenei being on Twitter, where he can spread his anti-Semitic drivel to millions. These platforms are rife with contradictions, hyperbole, and hypocrisy. Controlling or moderating these media outlets can only be subjective, and every decision will upset half the subscribers.
What is free speech? This question has been debated for centuries. The suspended journalists had not written opinion pieces or reported newsworthy topics. They all were tweeting the location of Elon Musk’s private jet in real-time. Musk and his family are constantly threatened by bodily harm, and to supply their whereabouts in detail puts them at significant risk. That is not the purpose of free speech. That is called doxxing and can be extremely dangerous. Elon Musk has every right to remove dangerous information and penalize those who publish the info. You agree to abide by the rules when you join one of these platforms. The people complaining about the recent suspensions should go to the rules and read the fine print.
Most people can agree with keeping government interjection out of these social media outlets and ensuring that election interference is not part of the output. If found to happen and can be proven, strict controls or penalties must be levied. These projects have become too powerful to be ignored, and except for the new Twitter, the Left controls social media content. Again they have shown how proactive the Party is to ensure future power and control over this country. We on the Right need to get creative to balance the scales.
