A few thoughts on Twitter's suspension of Trump's account, a thread.
Twitter is a private company and it can do what it wants. Twitter is selling a product in a free market, and it's up to Twitter what the product is like. If they want to enforce certain rules, even unfairly, that's their call. They're a company, not the government.
True, companies like Twitter impact what today's media
environment is like. As a citizen, it's easier to reach a large audience if you play by the rules of the big tech companies. So the inevitable editorial decisions of the providers will shape that media environment.
environment is like. As a citizen, it's easier to reach a large audience if you play by the rules of the big tech companies. So the inevitable editorial decisions of the providers will shape that media environment.
But I'm not particularly worried that will limit the range of voices. Social media is a market for eyeballs and attention. I gather the financial incentive for the big tech companies over time is not to cross customers, especially large groups of customers. Big tent = big $.
Plus, where customers really want to hear from someone, they will. In the case of Trump, for example, a lot of people want to know what he is saying. His words will be shared widely on Twitter whether he can tweet directly or have an account.
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