14/11/2020
Everybody knows that there is a huge drive in the media to stop what they call “misinformation”. Facebook is probably the most notorious for this. They delete posts that they feel is not up to “their” standards and slap warning labels on those they feel are incorrect regardless if most of the information is correct. If someone gets a minor detail wrong they slap a warning label on the post saying “partial false”.
Since when did media sites decide what you should or should not be able to post? I know that these sites are privately owned and have the right to allow or disallow anything on their sites but it is one thing when just one site does it but another when all of them act the same way and regulate the information the same way. It is getting so that you can’t even post political jokes without possibly being put in “Facebook jail”.
Misinformation is not going to stop just because media sites censor the information. Misinformation has always been with us and always will be. Haven’t they ever heard of gossip? By censoring information they are just creating more mistrust and hate. I know misinformation can cause people to do the wrong thing at times but it also can make people think and verify for themselves. Many people don’t do that though and just trust whatever they see or hear but the media’s approach to the problem isn’t going to help anyone.
I don’t care what anyone says, censorship is bad. If they can censor the misinformation what is to stop them from censoring all information. Censorship basically is a tool for allowing only the wanted information to be available to the people. Censorship can involve political, economic, religious, personal, public, private or even widely known information. Censorship is nothing more than one group asserting power over another group to control them.
Control is the real problem here, not misinformation. It is harder to control people if they have information at their fingertips and not just valid but invalid information as well. The information may be wrong but it is still information. Sure it is best to have valid information but having invalid information can sometimes be beneficial. How is someone to know when information is valid or invalid when a nerd sitting in a basement is censoring all the information by what he has found on the web? Who is to say his information isn’t wrong?
It is even worse because if you post too many things they label as false you can be penalized and severely. You can end up in “Facebook jail”, your groups can be no longer seen by others, your groups can be even removed, you can be removed and the list goes on. Facebook is constantly updating its penalty list and enforcing them with a vengeance, so much so people are leaving it in droves. Free speech is no longer a thing on Facebook. Free speech on Facebook is only available when it agrees with what you are saying.
I have to wonder what kind of penalty I will incur with this post. I’m sure I will get something thrown at me but let it come. There was once a time when people could voice their opinions and post things without fear of reprisals but those days are over. Today you not only have to be politically correct but you have to be Facebook correct.
But then Facebook is a privately owned and run company that has the right to do whatever it wishes on it’s website. Since this is how they want to run their business all I can say is good luck with it, because you are in the process of losing about half of your users and when it is over you will be exactly what you are shooting for, a total left wing site with no political diversity. Just remember that when that happens it will affect your income from advertisers.
As for many of those who have been users for decades and don’t like censorship of any kind, we will remember also and will leave to never return. The media is saying that 72,899,304 people voted for Trump in this election, are you willing to alienate that many people by your policies? It is those very people that you are censoring. Those are only the ones who voted for Trump, there are many others who hate your policies just as much but these voters are the majority of the people you are targeting with your policies.
I believe your empire is crumbling around you and soon you will start feeling the result in your pocketbook. I wonder if money will wake you up or are you so entrenched into the left and their agenda that money will not affect you? I guess we shall soon see.
