Tweet for the stars

With Elon Musk making his bid for Twitter, we see yet another volley in the battle over free speech,  at least as it regards our social media spaces. Twitter’s managers, according to Musk, exceed the boundaries established by the laws in a space that should be a forum for all kinds of speech. Musk calls Twitter a kind of ‘digital town square’ that raises connections to Habermas’ Public Sphere, those neighbourhood coffee shops where locals can argue politics and policy with their community. Musk uses this town square analogy to emphasise the importance of free speech to its function as a part of democracy.  

In practice, however, there is an enormous and critical distinction between town squares and the micro-blogs of Twitter. Political discourse in our town squares is surrounded by context, negotiation, and social exchange – politicians may put up their signs, but the community will play an active, sometimes extremely active, role in shaping their message. Even the simple act of going out to shake hands with the public can draw quick attention to opposing views. If these informal discussions are particularly vigorous, it is precisely this diverse and even agonistic quality that marks them as sites of democratic deliberation.  

By contrast, Twitter is a manicured space whose functions enable users and readers to avoid discussion rather than to foster it. Tweets are standalone micro-blog posts, with users needing to interact with the site to see more than a few recent replies. Readers choose the voices they want to hear and which accounts they want to block. Authors of these posts get primacy: the way they feel, the frames they present and the angles they choose get (literally, physically) top billing and no context sullies that initial view. Town square and coffee shop denizens can shout over one another and vandalise signs, but Twitter broadcasters don’t need to compete for first impressions. That order of presentation has a significant impact in participatory media: top posts carry much more weight and influence our view of the entire discussion. Further, Twitter does a poor job of representing the diverse public, and attention is highly focused on a subset of users that are already popular. This resembles less a town square than a re-hash of call-in talk radio.

While this approach to discussion – my view above all others – may suit Musk, his proposals portend less a vigorous democratic discussion than further empowering speech for the already powerful.  

Tim Koskie, CMT PhD Candidate

This was featured in our newsletter of 29 April 2022 - read the full edition here. Or to subscribe, click here.