Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Strike a Blow for Free Speech
Those people who consider themselves as the prince-electors are aiming to destroy the Elon Musk-owned Twitter unless they are able to bring Musk to heel. Many advertisers have been pressured into stopping or suspending their advertising on the platform, and Apple is apparently thinking of banning Twitter from the App Store.
As Musk said yesterday: “This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.”
This would be a good time to join Twitter, if you are not already a member. You don’t need to post extensively, but it is helpful to the platform to have more active users. And you don’t have to participate in the toxic discussions, of which there are plenty…there are also quite a few intelligent and thoughtful people who do most of their daily posting at Twitter, even when they have their own websites or blogs, and some of them have pretty decent commentariats as well.
Also, there is a lot more at Twitter than politics. For example, yesterday the venture capitalist Paul Graham…quite likely the only VC who has attended art school…posted this image.
…I was not familiar with this remarkable 1730s painting by Giovanni Canaletto, but as PaulG says, hyperrealistic paintings like this give us our best glimpse of what the world looked like before photography was invented. Above and beyond current events, Twitter can be useful as a discovery platform.
Twitter is, of course, at present advertiser-supported…I rarely click on any ads on blogs or social media sites, but did even run across one Twitter ad for a product that looked very interesting. If you own or run a business you might consider trying some Twitter advertising to find out how effective it is.
We don’t have to believe that Musk is any kind of saint in order to see the importance of having him succeed with Twitter. If he fails, it will be a major victory for the speech-controllers.
Published in General
Indeed. I’m baffled by those who even on Ricochet say that, even though they can afford $8 or whatever a lot more than I can, it’s somehow “not worth it” to them.
It doesn’t cost $8/month to be a member….the $8 is to get a blue check mark.
Although I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point Musk sets a membership fee for everyone, so as to be less-dependent on advertisers.
Well yes, but just being a member while advertisers have fled, doesn’t help Elon pay the bills.
If even I can think it’s worth $8 to keep Elon from possibly losing Tesla as his “collateral” for the Twitter financing, then what excuse is there for those who can afford $8 a lot easier than I can?
None that I can think of.
And I don’t even “social.” You convinced me.
I’m giving it a try. Watching the near realtime
foodfightinteraction among Elon, the media, the tech world and politicos is great entertainment if nothing else (and it’s lot else too).I doubt I will pay any more attention to Twitter than I ever have, which is none. But I can easily justify $8 to show my support.
I am retired on a fixed income right now. I guess it’s a good idea for me to, finally, join, but for now it will have to be a free account. If I get a paying job, I’ll pay. And I would think it’s worth it to be able to follow Elon Musk. I’ll be using my same handle over there that I use everywhere else on the internet.
Oh I don’t feel obliged to buy in – signing up adds to head count. That’s all I’ll do. They can try to target advertising someone who never looks at it…..
Marc Andreessen says that he was defined by the Washington Post as “Far right reactionary billionaire who wants to destroy the free press.” Pretty sure that the sin that has them upset is that Marc is helping Musk with Twitter.
This is real ‘1984’ stuff…war is peace, freedom is slavery, open platforms for speech are a threat to the free press.
I’ve stepped up my Twitter activity lately. I had sometimes gone weeks or even months without looking at it.
Here is something else that can help:
I guess it doesn’t count if you never subscribed…..
I hadn’t either, but I’ll bet there are people here who have.
It’s also worth going to Twitter just to follow @EJHill_PSC to learn how it’s done. (Not to be confused with EJHill+ here on Ricochet (@ejhill)).
Also, you can of course link to Ricochet and to other sites from Twitter, either in your own posts or in comments to other posts. Great way to help build traffic for Ricochet, as well as helping out Twitter…of course, only works for Ricochet posts on the Main Feed.
Me, too!
Me, too. Now on Twitter as RushBabe49.
Sorry, David. I’m a fan of Musk but am not in the least bit inclined to sign up for Twitter. Ever. I will support free speech through other means.
Given the possibility that Apple will ban Twitter from its AppStore, it’s important to note that you don’t need to have the app to access Twitter…or, for that matter, Facebook…from an iPhone. You can just reach it through the browser like any other website.
I have an Android phone myself.
I have an Android tablet….works on that. Can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t work on the phone.
I think we’re talking past each other, David. I’ve lived w/o Twitter all these years; it doesn’t interest me.
Yeah, I understand. I was responding to your comment about the Android phone.
I dunno. While it’s fun to watch all the right people lose their minds, Elon Musk seems like a flaky, inconstant weirdo who doesn’t know what he’s doing in this case. That business about freedom of speech not freedom of reach (h/t @rodin) just means “not actually freedom of speech”. I hope there is a better free speech champion out there.
A Musk-owned Twitter would almost certainly have not suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story.
The overall ‘progressive’ narrative will become somewhat less-overwhelming.
Remember: “The best is the enemy of the good.”
I’d rather have millions of mediocre free speech champions than just one who is very good.
Sure, well, right now it’s one mediocre one.
Also should note that the EU is demanding that Twiter implement censorship. And, of course, the CCP has long insisted that American movies be edited to comply with their content requirements. In an earlier incarnation of the same tradition, Nazi Germany maintained a consul in Los Angeles with responsibility for influencing the content of Hollywood films–with some success. See my post So, really want to talk about foreign intervention?
Large-scale foreign trade in media, whether social or traditional, may not be compatible with American liberty.
I would hope that most Ricochetti are free speech champions. Back in the 60s and 70s we had millions of mediocre ones.
While American ‘progressives’ and much of the media are losing their minds over Musk’s ownership of Twitter…here’s what’s going on the with Chinese-owned TikTok platform.