The collapse of Twitter for (basically) self-inflicted reasons makes a strong case for building online infrastructure structured as a non-profit or public utility.
People rely on these platforms for public information, use them for democratic debate and many invest their livelihoods in them.
These platforms are too important to public safety, peoples’ livelihoods and democracy to leave in the hands of eccentric billionaires or the whims of stock markets.
@llebrun I would like to see the panic as the people who consistently remind everyone that Twitter is a private company can set its own content moderation policy without regard to the Freedom of Speech would suddenly realize that a Public Uitility Twitter would be subject to the full force of the first ammendment. Twitter really would become the public square and people like Donald Trump and the Proud Boys would have the absolute right to speak there.
