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I have no idea why people are focused on "free speech".
That doesn't apply to private companies, nor should it.

The vast majority of most any user base doesn't really want any/all types of often extremely awful behavior to be allowed, just because it's technically "legal".

That's not a place which is enjoyable to frequent for the vast majority of normal users.
 
I still maintain that Elon should simply create his own platform with the ideology and framework he thinks will work best.

If it truly turns out to be great, it will find growth.

He's in a unique position with a massive following, where he is in fact an "entity" that probably could create the needed interest and and growth for a new, from scratch, offering.

Unlike Trump (also trying to roll his own), Elon really does have fans and followers across a very wide spectrum of ages, backgrounds, political persuasions, etc
 
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This one always still cracks me up

FQZpE4mXsAMazTa.jpeg




(not really referring to anyone commenting in here, please don't take it that way - just a funny meme I see from time to time -- mostly in defense of Tesla stuff)
 
Agree, people could just hide their hate, racism, and bigotry behind closed doors. Now it's out there for everyone to see.

Is it just out there or have platforms like FB, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter been utilized to over-sensitize, over-emphasize and over-focus issues like these? That itself would be a good debate.
 
You are making little sense. You have no idea what I do in my day. You may wish to move if you can't deal with the tarmac and certain roads.
If I want exercise I'll have pleasant exercise, not unpleasant exercise like walking to the shops. That's the smart thing to do if you value your free time as I do.

Edit: I live on the edge of the countryside. One minute east of my house and I'm in open land for miles- im next to a nature reserve. If I go the opposite way into town it's all concrete.

I didn't like the way you were judging your neighbours for choosing to drive to the shops. They might be lazy, but that choice does not make them lazy.
 
Here are the last two paragraphs from the great linked piece below:


"Groups unhappy with Twitter have been attempting to start their own speech platforms for years. There have been at least three distinct “Twitter but with free speech” attempts in the past four years: Parler, GETTR, and most recently Truth Social, the service launched by Trump. They have all developed moderation frameworks.

Free expression should be a foundational value. And Musk is correct that social-media companies have incredible power and no accountability. Opaque moderation decisions and reactive ad hoc policies have undermined the public trust; playing whack-a-mole with rumors or responding to propaganda with fact-checks seems to have led to more animus and entrenchment, not less. But if you think that, by taking the “public square” private and consolidating control even further, Musk will somehow uphold free expression and protect democracy, you will be disappointed."



Source:
 
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Another really great thread with thoughts on this here: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1514956147073044480.html

Just a few key excerpts I wanted to highlight though

"I am very much against censorship. I am, for example, against the censorship of every topic that the social networks blocked during the pandemic especially. I have personally been harmed by this."

"However, I also understand many non-obvious things about the complex dynamics that arise in large social network platforms, and I will tell you this:"

"Censorship is inevitable on large social network platforms. If you run one of sufficient size, you will be FORCED to censor things. Not by governments, or even by "users," but by the emergent dynamics of the social network itself."

"IIRC, almost every large social platform started out wanting to uphold free speech. They all buckle."

"And it's not because certain ideas are good or bad, or true or false. It has to do purely with operational issues that arise with humans that disagree in large numbers on digital platforms."
 
To sum up the above

What people are I guess "missing" here is that we haven't even come close to solving the problem of having a public square that encompasses all of a country, let alone all of the world.

Humanity wasn't brought up with this level of interaction scale.

It's honestly not even clear that it's possible.

I'd argue the social networking era has broken a lot of civilization and frankly "our minds" -- and we are still in that state and simply trying to cope. It's not clear there will be some good story or resolution to arise any time soon -- or ever.

This is one of many reasons I think it's better for "more platforms to exist" (i.e. Elon, go make one!) so that different experiences can cater to different preferences. It's a much better model than trying to make something that caters to "all of humanity"
 
Why doesn’t Elon buy Parler, or the one started by ex-president? Very cheap compared to Twitter.

He shouldn't buy anything if you ask me.

Just create, from scratch, what he thinks is the best model of how something like this should operate and see if it takes off.

He's got the reach and audience to get a lot of people to try it.
It would find success if he's able to solve for all the issues here (good luck)

Honestly -- we need more players in all tech spaces anyhow.
The consolidation over the last decade or so has been a complete net negative.
 
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He shouldn't buy anything if you ask me.

Just create, from scratch, what he thinks is the best model of how something like this should operate and see if it takes off.

He's got the reach and audience to get a lot of people to try it.
It would find success if he's able to solve for all the issues here (good luck)
Exactly. Much cheaper than buying outright. I am all for it. If he thinks he can do it better, then prove it.
 
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Here are the last two paragraphs from the great linked piece below:


"Groups unhappy with Twitter have been attempting to start their own speech platforms for years. There have been at least three distinct “Twitter but with free speech” attempts in the past four years: Parler, GETTR, and most recently Truth Social, the service launched by Trump. They have all developed moderation frameworks.

Free expression should be a foundational value. And Musk is correct that social-media companies have incredible power and no accountability. Opaque moderation decisions and reactive ad hoc policies have undermined the public trust; playing whack-a-mole with rumors or responding to propaganda with fact-checks seems to have led to more animus and entrenchment, not less. But if you think that, by taking the “public square” private and consolidating control even further, Musk will somehow uphold free expression and protect democracy, you will be disappointed."



Source:
- Open source moderation code.

- All moderation made by AI or humans having publicly accessible tracking.

- All speech allowed, limited by the law of the county it appears in.

That is what he is proposing. Perhaps the masses should stop speculating and look at his proposal.
 
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If I want exercise I'll have pleasant exercise, not unpleasant exercise like walking to the shops. That's the smart thing to do if you value your free time as I do.

Edit: I live on the edge of the countryside. One minute east of my house and I'm in open land for miles- im next to a nature reserve. If I go the opposite way into town it's all concrete.

I didn't like the way you were judging your neighbours for choosing to drive to the shops. They might be lazy, but that choice does not make them lazy.
I know my neighbours, speak to them a couple of times a week and you do not. As the majority of them have told me that they have no interest in walking to the store and they are lazy for choosing not to, my statement is based on reality from conversations with them and not judgement. I did not like the way you were judging my comments without having any knowledge of the situation. Good evening.
 
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- Open source moderation code.

- All moderation made by AI or humans having publicly accessible tracking.

- All speech allowed, limited by the law of the county it appears in.

That is what he is proposing. Perhaps the masses should stop speculating and look at his proposal.

Then he should go create all that and prove it works and leave Twitter as is.

At this point in technology, it's downright dystopian and scary to think about injecting AI into something like moderation.

To that point though...
The scale of moderation here is insurmountable (until proven otherwise).

Facebook has already said as much many times over.
This is one area I actually believe what they are saying.
They are saying it for their own reasons, but that doesn't mean it's incorrect either.
 
- Open source moderation code.

- All moderation made by AI or humans having publicly accessible tracking.

- All speech allowed, limited by the law of the county it appears in.

That is what he is proposing. Perhaps the masses should stop speculating and look at his proposal.
Moderation? What happened to free speech?
 
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Proposing things and being able to execute on them are very -- VERY -- different things.

I could do an entire essay on all the things that haven't gone "as he's proposed" in the last decade.
Would you admit that the goal is reasonable? What is it with transparency that has so many people afraid?
 
Would you admit that the goal is reasonable? What is it with transparency that has so many people afraid?

I think the goal is exceptionally optimistic, but I encourage him to try.
He should start his own service, with his visions, from the ground up.

(he's going to run into all the problems already run into by others over time)
 
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