What
has the world come down to, where one organization regulates what content can be
communicated by everyone?
We
used to fear government censorship, library or school book bans, and limits on a free press. But now we have
to concern ourselves with a handful of companies that in essence, control and
dictate mass communication. Our world
has shrunk. It gets filtered by a few companies:
Google (includes You Tube), Facebook (includes Instagram), Twitter, Wordpress, Apple, Netflix, Pinterest, Amazon, Gannett, four major networks, five major book publishers.
The information titans are more powerful than the government but they’re driven by profit, ideology, and politics.
Google (includes You Tube), Facebook (includes Instagram), Twitter, Wordpress, Apple, Netflix, Pinterest, Amazon, Gannett, four major networks, five major book publishers.
The information titans are more powerful than the government but they’re driven by profit, ideology, and politics.
The
Internet seemingly needs a librarian, or an independent source that can:
·
Validate
facts.
·
Label
opinion vs. news/fact.
·
Identify
fake news.
·
Alert
us to scams.
·
Make
sure ads don’t make false claims.
·
Keep
a record of what’s been published and posted.
But
right now we have a deeply flawed and compromised web, where liars and losers
have undermined the purity and goodness the Internet promised.
Look
at Facebook. It’s been accused of many
problematic practices in terms of how it stores and shares user
information. It was just accused of
unfair housing practices because of how it does targeted advertising. Now it’s embroiled in another half-baked
policy to control free speech. It’s a
mess.
Facebook
just announced how it will “ban white nationalism” just as it says it does not
allow explicit expressions of support for white supremacy. It is a stinking mess.
You
might think that on the surface it sounds good that FB will shut down hate and
intolerance, but in practice, it’s impossible to do and the arbitrariness of it
all makes them the biggest tramplers of the First Amendment.
I
don’t support acts of hatred nor do I want to live in a world where everyone is
against someone simply because of what they look like, their gender, faith, or
sexuality. But I care deeply about the
free exchange of ideas, even the bad ones.
In order for speech to truly be unshackled, even monsters get to have a
forum.
Maybe
before we curtail speech we look to address why so many groups feel the need to
spew crap about others. Being
anti-something is bad, such as being anti-black, but being pro-something may
not be much better if what you support is something that puts others down. Think about it. To be pro-black or pro-white can also be
racist. How do you stand up for your
race without, as a result, put others down?
We
are approaching, though not there yet, a certain level of equality between men
and women, gay and straight, and black and white. To reach fair treatment for all, at least
legally, in public action and public speech, it takes decades, even centuries,
of hard-fought court cases, demonstrations, violent protests, and mass media
initiatives. Women still earn less than
men. Blacks are still treated
differently by the police than whites.
And many LGBTQ citizens still face abuse and discrimination. But things are getting better.
So
at what point do we stop noticing and discussing our
racial-gender-sexual-religious differences?
At what point do we become done with needing groups to tell us to be
pro-white, pro-women, or pro-gay? When do
we stop defining who we are by what we can’t change? When is our self-worth no longer wrapped up
in our skin color, or what’s between our legs, or whom we pray to?
We
are a nation of miniature nations, tribes, gangs, and clicks. We are a divided
country and the only way to evolve is to keep communication lines open and
free, even if we don’t want to listen to the voices of others.
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and
interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of
his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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