Kate StarbirdIn ~2014, my colleague & I argued that social media (esp. Twitter) had become part of the critical infrastructure of disaster response. People were turning to Twitter during crises to share information about impacts and resources. Disaster responders were using the data shared there for situational awareness, and were communicating in real-time with their constituents. Today’s events underscore just how dangerous it is for society to come to rely on private platforms as critical infrastructure.
JohnMashey@katestarbird
Minor nit:
suggest "rely on private platforms" => ""rely on unregulated private platforms".
After all, for many decades, Bell System telephony was a heavily-regulated private platform monopoly ... with stringent rules about reliability and service, and a shared goal of Universal Service, even as that meant urban/suburban subsidizing rural.