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The Splinternet Manifests] We are now witnessing the factionalization of our information ecosystem in real time. Our human network is being torn apart, into two polarized tribes, as a result of the violence that took place at the Capital on Wednesday... A few thoughts: 1/
The Splinternet Manifests] We are now witnessing the factionalization of our information ecosystem in real time. Our human network is being torn apart, into two polarized tribes, as a result of the violence that took place at the Capital on Wednesday... A few thoughts: 1/
First, @facebook banned Trump indefinitely citing the danger of incitements to violence... 2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/technology/facebook-trump-ban.html
Then, @Twitter followed suit. But, since it acted late, had to justify its decision based on two of his more innocuous tweets, whereas his earlier content had been more incendiary (see: https://twitter.com/sinanaral/status/1347717022147358721?s=19). This will embolden claims of bias & censorship from Trump allies. 3/
Then, Right-wing social media app Parler was removed from the Google Play store... Splintering the network further. 4/ https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/tech/parler-google-play-removed/index.html
Followed by Apple Threatening To Ban Parler From The App Store and giving it 24 hours to institute a moderation policy. 5/ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/apple-threatens-ban-parler
Which it most certainly will not do given John Matze, the Parlor CEO, is dug into the idea of not moderating his cite... 6/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-john-matze.html
Then, came the conservative backlash, as Trump allies slammed @Facebook and @Twitter over the president's suspension... 7/ https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/08/trump-twitter-suspension-allies-456750
Mark Levin wrote "I have suspended my own Twitter account in protest against Twitterâs fascism. I ask all my followers to join me now on Parler and Rumble" & Rush Limbaugh deactivated his @Twitter account after Trump was banned... 8/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/08/rush-limbaugh-leaves-twitter-following-trump-ban/6605864002/
Limbaugh did this, by the way, while comparing the Capitol Hill Riot to American Revolution ( https://www.newsweek.com/rush-limbaugh-compares-capitol-hill-riot-american-revolution-1559872) and the Capitol Rioters to the Founding Fathers ( https://www.thedailybeast.com/rush-limbaugh-likens-capitol-rioters-to-founding-fathers-dismisses-concerns-over-pro-trump-violence) 9/
Don't forget: Limbaugh is a Medal of Freedom Recipient... Which shows how far apart these factions really are... 10/ https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/politics/rush-limbaugh-donald-trump-medal-of-freedom/index.html
None of this bodes well for our democracy. We are losing any common ground we once had. Our information ecosystem is segregating into two different realities. Our ability to communicate and sympathize with one another is being lost. 11/
Even if dialogue between these factions seemed unlikely, difficult and fraught with challenge, completely bifurcating the human network in the United States will only make healing and reconciliation more difficult... 12/
The hope now is that a mainstream of sensible, rational citizens will congregate in mainstream channels of communication and that unmoderated channels will become more and more fringe as the content there becomes more and more cringeworthy. 13/
Any student of negotiations knows cooperation, coordination & collaboration require common ground. Now, more than ever, we need to find that common ground. To embrace it. And to isolate the fringe while nurturing the middle. Cooler heads must prevail. Our democracy is at stake.
To be clear: my point is *not* that we should forgive, forget or enable what happened this week, but that we should split the fringe from the rational conservatives who believe that this has gone too far, that we should not allow the fringe to take the rational with them.
