Some folks also say, "Wherever the public congregates, that's the public square."

I don't think that applies to Twitter.

When I say that Twitter is *physically* owned by Elon Musk, that's not a small thing. It's actually a big deal.

And that should tell you a big difference between the Fediverse and Twitter right there.

No one can pull the plug on the Fediverse.

You can go ahead and say the public square is wherever the public congregates. But that means nothing when -- not if -- Elon Musk decides to pull the plug, and everything disappears.

Everything you do on Twitter is all under the aegis of Elon Musk's whims.

Nobody owns the Fediverse.

Nobody stops you from downloading all manners of Fediverse software -- almost all which is free -- and running it yourself.

Let's be real. 95% of people who use Twitter will never leave because they've bought into the notion that Twitter is the public square.

Even though it's not.

If someone can buy it, it's not the public square.