Until recently Elon Musk was not prominent on my radar. So last week, when the world’s richest person made a bid for Twitter, I found myself wondering why so many were so fearful of him and his gambit.
Like others, I am concerned about growing corporatism and oligarchy, about power and influence resting in the hands of a mere few, about the growing disparity between the rich and poor. But why is Musk unique? Where was the same outrage when Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post?
It appears that much of the opposition to Musk lies in his views. He has apparently taken stances against mainstream orthodoxies. But our concern about billionaires owning major media should not be decided by our agreement or disagreement with their politics. The concern should be about the growing power and influence of a small group of people.
Musk professes to be a free speech absolutist and wants to revamp Twitter in that vision. Like Musk, I’m troubled by some of the actions of social media companies, which protect orthodoxies that are verboten to deny or challenge. That’s a dangerous trend for a liberal democracy. I, too, am a free speech absolutist — in the context of the First Amendment. But I don’t think free speech absolutism makes for fruitful discourse.
Content without moderation leads to cacophony. That’s why traditional media — newspapers, radio, network television — will always be more thoughtful, deliberate and informative, if, perhaps, not as immediately thrilling.
This is the great challenge of social media. On the one hand, they abjure the role of publishers, enjoying the freedoms of Section 230 which exempts them from libel suits. On the other, especially starting with the Trump presidency, social media began defining what is and is not permitted on their platforms.
We need a balance. There is power to the town square, but absent moderation, it can become mere noise. Yet, moderation requires accountability.
There is a place in London called Speakers Corner. Every Sunday, all manner of folk can pitch a podium and preach. One may hear genuine insight or vile anti-Semitism. It’s not a place of substance. That’s not a version of Twitter I’d want to spend much time in. But I’m also concerned about the trend to shut down or label speech.
Platforms should take ownership of what they purvey, but these powerful corporations will not cede the enormous privilege they currently have of not being held accountable.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
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