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https://theconversation.com/the-digital-town-square-what-does-it-mean-when-billionaires-own-the-online-spaces-where-we-gather-182047>
"The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, seems set to purchase the social media
platform Twitter for around US$44 billion. He says he’s not doing it to make
money (which is good, because Twitter has rarely turned a profit), but rather
because, among other things, he believes in free speech.
Twitter might seem an odd place to make a stand for free speech. The service
has around 217 million daily users, only a fraction of the 2.8 billion who log
in each day to one of the Meta family (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp).
But the platform plays a disproportionately large role in society. It is
essential infrastructure for journalists and academics. It has been used to
coordinate emergency information, to build up communities of solidarity and
protest, and to share global events and media rituals – from presidential
elections to mourning celebrity deaths (and unpredictable moments at the
Oscars).
Twitter’s unique role is a result of the way it combines personal media use
with public debate and discussion. But this is a fragile and volatile mix - and
one that has become increasingly difficult for the platform to manage.
According to Musk, “Twitter is the digital town square, where matters vital to
the future of humanity are debated”. Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, in
approving Musk’s takeover, went further, claiming “Twitter is the closest thing
we have to a global consciousness”.
Are they right? Does it make sense to think of Twitter as a town square? And if
so, do we want the town square to be controlled by libertarian billionaires?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
