Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the suspension of Donald Trump. However, the decision isn’t really final. They will revisit the ban in six months. They want to make sure they can determine a “proportionate response.” Uh-huh. So what does this mean? Facebook punted. They don’t know where they stand so they bought themselves some time. In the meanwhile, they can continue on with business as usual. And in our opinion, the Facebook biz is shady as all hell.
Maybe shady isn’t the right word. Murky. Murky is much better. Almost all the “rules” on social media are murky and they’re murky on purpose. That leaves them lots of wiggle room to get rid of whoever they want. People and ideas they just don’t like.
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Sooner or later congress will step in and break up the Big Tech giants. It’s only a matter of time. At the very least they will have to demand more transparency from the “rules” and “code of conduct” departments. And hopefully we can dig into these legendary “algorithm” departments as well. We need total transparency. We need the light of a thousand suns on this bullshit. The murkiness must end.
As a long time Facebook user and YouTube content creator, I am all too familiar with the unspoken “rules” of social media. There are certain words you never use unless you want your content buried. Phrases and terminology that will get your account flagged and maybe get you booted from the platforms entirely. Words like “liberty,” “freedom” and “Trump” seem to be at the top of the list. Use those and you get squashed. I figured this out through trial and error. I’ve created tons of content and, yes, even an idiot like myself can notice patterns.
There is a “secret police” aspect to social media that is finally getting dragged into the light. Good. This shit needs to end. The Wall Street Journal just did a piece on this very thing. Good.
So, Facebook bought themselves some time. Oh, well. I’m hoping that in six months congress will have finally found the balls to do something. Until then, we’ll just keep self-censoring. And THAT is what Big Tech REALLY wants. They want people on the platform to stop themselves from saying the “wrong” thing. THEY won’t have to censor you if you do it yourself. Another upside of murky rules.
Sadly, if you are in the online business or want to effectively promote a free exchange of ideas, you’re stuck. You have to be on social media. That’s the reality. So for now the self-censorship continues. Let’s hope for some serious sunlight soon. Talking about freedom, liberty and basic rights shouldn’t get you de-platformed and effectively booted from society.
