With all the excitement about an alleged new era of “free speech” coming with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, it would be wise to pump the brakes for those believing we are readily speeding towards some fantasyland First Amendment Twitter utopia.
This is a classic Rorschach test where everyone sees this development the way they want to see it, the way they hope to see it.
But let’s not pretend this is a $44 billion gift to the cause of free speech. This has the feel of a Trojan horse, and to paraphrase an old saying, we should beware of geeks bearing gifts.
Free speech is indeed a right in this country, one originally granted in the Bill of Rights. But, contrary to popular perception, Facebook, Twitter et al are places where free speech is neither guaranteed nor protected.
And to date, the laws of the land are still lagging in relation to social media. That has given these platforms a distinct advantage in a wild marketplace of ideas. There are few, if any, limits on the ability to pass even the most outrageous lies, conspiracies and ideology.
If a newspaper, news outlet or magazine published a lot of what is put out on social media, their companies would face lawsuits. Social media platforms, however, have been given mostly free rein to allow anyone to publish anything, with the platforms bearing little or no accountability.
Lies about election cheating or claims against lawmakers alleging everything from treason to pedophilia are fairly common. There are attacks on everyday people. Social media has even become a tool of intentional financial market manipulation.
Algorithms drive more and more of the lies into more and more homes all under the guise of free speech. Divisive hate content is profitable and business is booming.
Why else would someone pay $44 billion to buy a social media platform? Do you blindly believe that one man is doing this because of some altruistic commitment to “free speech?”
In this realm of people demanding rights with no accountability, the free speech warriors celebrating this transaction may be the fools in the end.
The rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights have never been free. They come with responsibilities. The Second Amendment is not a license to wantonly own firearms and gun down people. The safe handling of guns is a responsibility.
So, too, the freedoms of speech and the press come with a price. They come with responsibilities to avoid libelous or slanderous false statements, or intentionally misleading people to fraud. In the mainstream media the freedom to publish is a responsibility that is enforced with a rule of law.
If a media outlet allows publication of libel, the aggrieved have recourse in the courts. If a social media outlet allows that same person to post the same content, they hide behind a shield of immunity from responsibility for third-parties. To date they’ve generally avoided being tagged in court for major damages in cases like that.
As the money and reach of these outlets has exploded, it is long past time for an honest evaluation of their role in society. This is not an argument for censoring points of view or things that are potentially offensive.
The time has come to evaluate their role in being allowed to amplify lies to a global marketplace. As Sacha Baron Cohen stated in his speech to the Anti-Defamation League:
“One thing is pretty clear to me. All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history.”
Driven by hatred fomented on social media, a man live-streamed the killing of 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand. Also driven by lies and conspiracy theories spread on social media, thousands of Americans stormed the U.S. Capitol to subvert the peaceful transfer of power in this country. Those people, and many like them, were manipulated by the social media lies of a stolen election.
The algorithms and AI are working constantly; they never sleep. And with each day the efficiency of the machinery gets better and better and continues to elude accountability. And on Twitter, even the most outrageous claims repeated often enough are given the aura of truth. It must be true because people keep saying it… right?
But one person’s right to free speech is not an unchecked ability to destroy the lives of others.
And as you celebrate the sale of Twitter, keep in mind the precarious position we are in now. Over two centuries ago, John Adams left the White House, conceding the election to Thomas Jefferson and ensuring the precedent of the peaceful and lawful transfer of power. That precedent has withstood the test of time, but now seems imperiled.
One of the forces eroding that precedent will reside unchecked in the hands of one person. That person is accountable to no one and that person holds power of an unprecedented scale.
So as you celebrate this supposed new era of free speech, it may be time to hold Twitter and all social media accountable to the responsibilities that are a required part of our rights. That is not censorship, but rather upholding standards that other media companies have had to follow for centuries.
Otherwise, this new Twitter arriving soon may be just the Trojan horse that we readily bring inside the fortress walls, only to be attacked from within.
