Punditry StaffShould free speech fueling racism and antisemitism that drives people to violence become illegal? This is a question that Meta must answer in light of the lawsuit the family of Rev. Rev. Clementa Pinckney just filed about the radicalization of its users that led to the racist murder in 2015 at a black church in South Carolina. A radicalization process that Meta algorithm has promoted to keep people online and engaging with its advertisers. Similarly, when would crossing the Musk free speech as it transitions to hate become a jeopardy for the platform, which recently fired its online moderation team?
Who did the firing? Elon Musk himself. Will this expose him to lawsuits if hate crimes on Twitter lead to violence? You bet it would.
For Meta, it’s profits over violence. For Twitter, it’s supposed free speech over violence. Either way, this lawsuit against Meta, if successful, is going to check mark all the social platforms to arbitrate between wishful thinking and the realities of our societal divisions laced with time bombs.
When he fired these moderators so publicly, Elon Musk just gave the victims of future violent acts a reason to come after Twitter in courtrooms.
INSTANT INFORMATION AND INSTANT ANGER
Social media has led to instant information but also to instant anger many of whom express in real-time and in the heat of the moment. There are no more barriers, like time, for that anger to recede if the algorithm or retweets run with the violent rhetoric expanding it and driving it to extreme action.
Our judicial system must distinguish between that aspect of social media sooner than later no matter the protective layers Congress has enshrined into law to protect the social platforms from lawsuits if these companies are unwilling to moderate free speech.
When he fired these moderators so publicly, Elon Musk just gave the victims of future violent acts a reason to come after Twitter in courtrooms. This is the dumb mistake of a narcissist who should have remained a machine coder and an engineer.
Furthermore, we believe Paul Pelosi should file a similar lawsuit against Facebook and Fox News for encouraging his attacker.
OUR WORLD IS DIFFERENT TODAY
Our world is different today. People used to read a newspaper article, get angry, and have all the time in the world to calm down and become rational again. Not so with social media, which have become platforms of irrationality and publicists of anger mismanagement.
Yes to free speech but the essential question remains. When free speech leads to violence, can courtrooms become the edifices to moderate a peaceful existence if capitalism fails us? So far, it seems Elon Musk believes this won’t happen, but we should all wait for the outcome of the Rev. Celmenta Pinckney should it begin to spark a judicial takeover of when crossing the Musk free speech or the Meta algorithm do become a clear and present danger to modern living.
Furthermore, we believe Paul Pelosi should file a similar lawsuit against Facebook and Fox News for encouraging his attacker. Such would elevate to new levels the discussion of when free speech crosses to violent and hateful action and what to do about it.
Assault weapons and social media have become the lead actors of violence. What happens when thousands of people act in concert instead of the isolated incidents we see today? Is our country not divided enough already?
What does it take for a wake-up call? Another civil war?
Crossing the Musk Free Speech and Free Hate Line
Punditry Staff
