Is it time for governments to guard against the collapse of social media – and other online – firms?
The takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk has created a huge upheaval in the corporation, with many financial supporters and users either leaving it or planning to do so.
There are widespread fears that it may collapse.
Other large firms, that similarly dominate our online lives, are at similar risk of takeover and destruction – calamities that would threaten our current way of life.
What is to be done about it?
I copy below a thread by economist Richard Murphy, who believes that governments should act to create similar systems that are publicly funded and free from commercial interference.
Before you read that, consider this: way back in 2020, I published an article quoting an Australian (I think) magazine that said the UK’s mass media had been complicit in lying to the nation about the Boris Johnson government’s efforts to deal with Covid-19.
It stated that the only people questioning the then-government’s behaviour were independent, social media sites (like Vox Political) and called for them to be supported.
Instead, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have squeezed us hard. This Site’s Facebook page has more than 42,000 followers – but only around 350 ever get to see any single post.
I am shown adverts calling for me to spend £14 to send them to a couple of hundred more readers, but there is no guarantee that they are followers of the page, or even interested in UK politics at all.
On Twitter, I have more than 10,000 followers currently – but, again, only a few of them ever see my tweets.
This is clear interference in the performance of my business, that takes advantage of the need to promote my site via the social media.
So my question is this: is it time to set up publicly-funded alternatives to Twitter, Google and so on, simply to re-establish a level playing field for businesses?
Here’s the Richard Murphy thread:
The future of Twitter appears to be in doubt today. Advertisers have pulled out. Musk has slashed staff numbers. A nasty, right-wing dominated hate-fest may follow, although I hope not. But what if other critical media institutions went the same way? What then? A quick thread…
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
I don’t see how many good voices that have been heard as a result of Twitter would have got noticed without it. I would deeply miss the almost instant news on politics that it provides because most opinion I want to hear is on this site.
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
But I’d encourage that for a reason much more important. Twitter has, overall, been a good thing in many people’s lives (but not everyone’s, and we could all do without the hate). But lot’s not pretend it’s critical.
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
Or Google. And I do not just mean the search engine. It’s communication tools are vital to the functioning of vast numbers of organisations, from my university onwards. Microsoft plays the same role in other places.
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
They are, admittedly, more mature organisations than Twitter. But in the event of someone with a massive ego and a strong political agenda antagonistic to the state staged a hostile takeover attack on them, backed by big money, would they stay independent?
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
So, are any of these other, more critical services immune from being taken over and destroyed? I see no obvious reason to think that they are in any way safe from such attack. And that leaves society massively vulnerable to these companies.
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
Musk and Twitter provide a real warning. We are deeply vulnerable to relatively few tach companies, and we can rely on none of them. My question is, what is society going to do to protect itself against the madness of this situation?
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
I’d rate the risk of that failure as quite high right now. We really do need to take action, and very soon. The world would fall apart without some of these companies now. It’s too big a risk to not plan for their failure.
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) November 5, 2022
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Publicly funded? Set up by governments? Trusty ol’ USA? Good old UK? (Any more for any more?) But twitter, Musk or no Musk, is totally in bed with (and in many ways, it seems, on top of!) the US goverment (and, by extension, UK and other governments), and it doesn’t matter a damn whether Tweedledum or Tweedledee – sorry, ‘Democrats’ or Republicans (the latter to include Trumpist zombies) – are in charge. Same applies to the other social media giants. Not to mention Amazon, the pharma big beasts, big oil/gas/coal, the ‘defence’ contractors like Boeing & Raytheon. I approve of much of what Richard Murphy has to say in general, but on this he really is UNBELIEVABLY naïve!!!
twitter already censored many users, watch this for a better understanding of this take over!
https://youtu.be/8w14RzNErdE