Ken WhiteJan 24, 2023
Government has no business either forcing a site to platform Nick Fuentes or forcing them to ban him. The decision of whether to have Nick Fuentes on your site is an exercise of First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and association. It can be a very clear statement of values.
Show threadPeat BogJan 24, 2023

@Popehat
I think there's broad agreement on your point: platforms set and enforce TOS, not government.

The sticky part comes in when we notice everybody is forced to chit-chat on the same platform. There's probably a short-hand word for that phenomenon.

Show threadKen White
@peatbog Who is forced, and how?
Jan 24, 2023 at 6:07pmWeb
Show threadPeat BogJan 24, 2023
@Popehat
Not forced by law but simply because all the people you want to chat with are on a particular platform and the effort involved in getting everyone to move somewhere else is overwhelming.
Show threadMike MerrittJan 25, 2023
@peatbog Lots of people didn't find it too problematic in the end to leave Twitter for Mastodon and other networks.
Show threadPeat BogJan 25, 2023

@mikewmerritt
I see lots of Twitter haters on Twitter due to the big network they have over there.

I've been watching several MDs and public health people make a go at Mastodon only to return to Twitter in spite of antivax abuse due to better engagement.

Same thing with Facebook. I don't know anyone who likes it but people use it for their running club or to check on pappy and meemaw or the neighborhood watch.

Show threadMike MerrittJan 26, 2023
@peatbog I'll concede that if your livelihood depends on it, it may be difficult to leave.
Show threadPeat BogJan 26, 2023

@mikewmerritt @Popehat
I don't think the problem is money but a network effect.

Analogy: individuals walking down an ally choose where to wander until a crowd forms with a density above a certain threshold. Then the individuals become a fluid with its own dynamics.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-fluid-dynamics-can-teach-us-about-navigating-crowds-180961823/

A Twitter user with an engaged following above a certain threshold will experience an emergent state analogous to a dense crowd: a community. Most humans can’t easily leave communities.

How Fluid Dynamics Can Help You Navigate Crowds

If you plan to be in a seething mass of humans at some point—whether it’s an inauguration or protest thereof—here's how to keep yourself safe

Smithsonian Magazine