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Harley "Griff" Lofton's avatar

I am both a free speech absolutist and and a free market absolutist.

Elon Musk is free to market his antisocial media platform any way he chooses. He is free to promote speech he likes and censor speech he doesn't. But Elon wants it both ways. He wants to operate freely BUT he doesn't want the market consequences of his moderating policies.

He wanted to sue businesses who publicly withdrew their advertising from X-itter because they did not want to be associated with a platform that was, in fact, promoting Jew hatred.

My own personal decision to abandon Twitter--- long before it was X came during the first weeks of Russia's war on Ukraine. It became impossible to sort out the avalanche of propaganda flooding the field from all sides. Suddenly a nation that was only slightly less corrupt than Russia was being held aloft as the last chance to save democracy in Europe. The only questions in my mind were: does a sovereign nation have the right to defend itself against the invasion of a hegemonic power? Would it be prudent in this particular case to assist that sovereign nation in resisting that invasion? The answer to both was, yes! No need to post the latest unsourced pictures of atrocities captured on a mobile phone. No need to post "I Stand with Ukraine" virtue signals all over the antisocial media universe. No need to try and sort out the awful truth from the trolls jamming the internet from Russian bot farms.

Respected reporters had become mere "influencers" trying to drive the story. Rather than reportage appearing and then being disseminated to social media--- social media was driving the reportage itself.

I had seen this act repeated for a few years around issues of less importance but to see it in overdrive when there was so much at stake just was enraging to me. So I made the market choice and left the platform like Elvis left the building. I have not missed it. My engagement with other antisocial media platforms has radically altered as well. I follow no one and don't seek followers. I engage in platforms in which I am likely to get more value from (like the Unpopulist and The Bulwark) than waste my time and energy. I try not to be a troll and wish others would try as well.

If one doesn't like the way an antisocial media platform operates leave it.

Make the invisible hand move.

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boogie mann's avatar

It is of course ok to criticize Elon Musk/ X especially as it pertains to potential contradiction, or out-right hypocrisy. What is not ok is leading with the premise of "ideologically driven moderation practices and selective compliance with the rules and regulations of various countries" being problematic post takeover when the same was true pre purchase (Twitter).

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