I have some mixed views on de-platforming users on social media.
Anyone with an opinion can easily trigger someone to try to get you off social media.
I had people attempt to censor me because I dared to expose the truth about some really corrupt and repulsive people.
That being said, the truth is that nobody is entitled to an account with a social media platform.
Twitter is not obligated to keep you on Twitter. The same is true for Facebook, Instagram and even the Blogger that I'm using now.
Twitter was milking all the Donald Trump tweets for all the attention it was worth until after the attempted coup on January 6.
Many right-wingers claim that the social media companies were censoring conservatives.
Adam Craig, a writer for the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, had a classic response to that
Plenty of questionable choices or misfiring algorithms, but I’ve yet to hear of anybody who got banned by a social media...
Posted by Andy Craig on Saturday, January 9, 2021
Plenty of questionable choices or misfiring algorithms, but I’ve yet to hear of anybody who got banned by a social media platform for advocating lower taxes, school choice, and constitutional originalism.Almost like it’s not really about “censoring conservatives.”
Let's also remember that the Trump-loving right-wingers practiced "cancel culture" with their over the top reactions to Colin Kaepernick, The Chicks (the band formerly known as "the Dixie Chicks"), and basically any person who dares to question Donald Trump's majesty!
As for me personally, I'd rather not advocate de-platforming anyone. I want the voices of others (especially the voices I hate) to be available so that we can keep track of them.
In fact, social media posts were used to find those who were involved in the attempted coup at the US Capitol on January 6.
From Reason Magazine
https://reason.com/2021/01/12/parler-twitter-social-media-speech-ban-terrorists-capitol-riot-trump/
There's another reason to be wary of far-reaching bans and takedowns that have the effect of purging extremists from mainstream social media sites: Many such social media users will migrate to corners of the internet where it's harder to track their activities. Ironically, this could make it more difficult for law enforcement to foil violent plots, and more challenging to prosecute those who are responsible for violence.
Indeed, the swift justice currently being meted out to the rioters who stormed the Capitol last week is an illustration of this point. From the man who stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D–Calif.) lectern to the masked figure who brought zip ties (and his mom) inside the building, social media has been indispensable at helping to identify riot participants. The fact that so many of them tweeted about their plans—or even uploaded selfies while they were in the act of trespassing—means it will be trivially easy to arrest, try, and convict them.There are similar lessons in counterterrorism. A recent study by the criminologist Joe Whittaker took a look at the Islamic State's social media presence and found that the group was too online for its own good. Terrorists who discussed their plans on social media were twice as likely to be apprehended by law enforcement."It is vital to understand the unintended consequences," wrote Whittaker. "This is particularly the case for content removal, which may inadvertently be aiding terrorists and hampering law enforcement investigations."
So I say let the bad guys talk on social media. Censoring them isn't going to make them go away!
And more importantly, the solution to bad uses of speech is to make good use of speech.
Deplatforming is a lazy way to act like your opponents don't exist! It "protects" you from actually working on your talking points!
You can't know who your opponents are if you don't know how they think!
So learn from your opponents, build up your intellectual depth and learn to make a stronger case for your ideas!
It's not easy but it can be done!
