Who owns our conversations?

Our Conversations

There are many issues when we rely 100% on a single-owner media platform or on big social media corporations such as Meta, X, and Google. In my opinion, we should not rely on highly centralized sites or public squares because our hard work from creating content is completely at the mercy of these corporations because they have the power to take it down from the platform. As this class suggested, having our own site and domain for our blog helps us retain our freedom with our content. One new platform for newsletter/community engagement called "Substack" allows its users to migrate their audience if they ever decide to use their own personal platform and part ways with their service. I think this is a great development in the media space. Other platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp do not have any option to transfer your audience to your own platform.

The Problem with Concentrated Power

Freedom of speech is often promoted on X by Elon Musk, but I'm suspicious of why his personal account gets more viral engagement than those of other big personalities. In my opinion, the recent sale of Twitter and its rebranding to X made its reputation worse. While some users appreciate being able to share almost anything, that has come at the price of the platform becoming more vulgar and chaotic. An article published by NBC in 2024 stated that "X experienced its largest user exodus since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022." This happened because a lot of power was concentrated in the hands of one individual, and X now has more of his influence. The overall user experience has degraded as a result. I believe that when so much power is concentrated in one person, it doesn't help free speech; instead, it promotes that person's ideas. It's not a good idea to rely 100% on big tech corporations to act in our best interest because their main aim is to generate profits, and they will always act in the best interests of their top shareholders, not the general public.

Need for a New Approach

I would not recommend to move to the smaller platforms and have no presence on the big media platforms such as Instagram or Youtube but I think we should own our own domain and keep a platform where we have 100% control. We should also start looking at platforms such as Substacks for more independence, if we ever need or want to move our audience to our own platform. One of the example of information on big media platforms being chaotic and not accurate is highlighted by BBC in their recent article published on January 07 2025. “Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style "community notes” This is not just concerning but its alarming because misinformation is very dangerous for the society.

My Opinion

In my opinion government should intervene to promote more independence and option for portability for the people, such as passing a law which requires all the social media platforms to provide some option for users’s data and its audience’s portability to another service if user decides.

California is my favorite state when it comes to laws for consumers. According to the State of California’s Department of Justice's website, one of the laws, The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), gives consumers a variety of controls over their data. One example from that act is "The right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their personal information." Voters also approved Proposition 24, the CPRA, which amended the CCPA on January 1, 2023. This gave consumers even more rights, one great example being "The right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information." In my opinion, it would be a great idea to amend the CCPA and add a new law that requires big media platforms to offer a system for the portability of their data and audiences.

Free Speech and Protecting Citizens

I think the government should intervene only to protect its citizens and enable them more rights, not to restrict their freedom of speech in the name of protection. An article published by the "The Free Speech Project" discusses a case where the Supreme Court ruled for a high school cheerleader who was punished for a vulgar Snapchat message expressing her frustration. The school administrators had suspended the student from the junior varsity cheerleading team for a year, eventually student secured victory from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The article mentions that the message was sent from a local convenience store over the weekend. In my opinion, schools or colleges should not intervene in anyone's personal media or their communication on the internet. I think this was a clear breach of free speech, done in the name of maintaining a better environment in the team.

Final Thoughts

Finally, regarding what society should be doing, I think all states should take inspiration from California on how it protects and prioritizes consumers. I also think California is a pioneer in protecting workers and has better labor laws. For example, as of April 1, 2024, fast-food restaurant employees covered by the new law must be paid at least $20.00 per hour (Labor Commissioner's Office).

Personally, I am working on my new upcoming YouTube channel, but I am also looking to start a newsletter on Substack because I will have an option for moving my audience in the future. I also follow independent journalists and take inspiration from them on how they are building their own audience and using platforms like Substack.