Direct Access to People’s Published Thoughts
“The Problem with Twitter” (11 minutes) <https://overcast.fm/+DjLO9IsKw/06:20>
Twitter is a platform that allows a person to reach and connect with many people, but it’s also a place that allows harassment and hate speech. however, for people who may want to seek other thought-publication platforms, it’s hard to move to better places because they may depend on the vast audience that Twitter provides.
although there are alternatives to Twitter, such as Mastodon and micro.blog, Twitter is by far the largest and most pervasive thought-sharing platform in the world. this gives Twitter great power in determining what content creators can publish, which determines what content audiences can see. this gives individuals little power over the content they create under Twitter’s auspices, and also limits the content a person can view even when content that Twitter finds objectionable does not bother that person. some individuals, such as historians and journalitsts, my require access to any content particular persons publish, regardless of how offensive it may be. content consumers should be able to view any content they want without an intermediary deciding what content is good or bad for them.
on The People’s Internet, content creators will have absolute power over the content they make available to the world. it will also allow people to get content from any individual, without a third-party’s policies and motivations getting in the way.
on The People’s Internet, platforms such as Twitter and Facebook will be clients of content creators and they will not own the content themselves. therefore, any content-publishing policies these platforms apply to the content they obtain from content creators will be secondary to the wishes of the content creators. for example, content creators will be free to publish any content they want. Twitter, as a content aggregator, will be free to not publish content that goes against its policies. but people who don’t find the content from particular individuals offensive will be able to see that content directly or through platforms with content-publication policies that are less restrictive.
on The People’s Internet, Twitter will have a lot less power and influence on the content people create and see.
