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by EGreg 3844 days ago
Yes I realize that. If I disagree with my government and my message cannot spread by any method other than hijacking mass media, then perhaps most people don't feel as I do. And that is super significant. Everyone is equal, and giving random people the chance to control a huge megaphone makes you LESS equal, not more. The one who gets their megaphone spreads their message more. And with great power comes great responsibility. Think of Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others who control a platform. Think of FOX and others. Can they do absolutely anything they want?

When you let mass media be used by ISIS and others in the name of free speech, you're giving them a free way to do super-untargeted advertising to their new recruits.
1 comments
kawakiole 3844 days ago
> giving random people the chance to control a huge megaphone makes you LESS equal, not more

People can choose what to hear. It's not random, It's the complete opposite of random.

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EGreg 3844 days ago
When it comes to mass media, they can choose the channel that they listen to from a limited number of platforms. On this channel, they hear something because a few elites made a decision to broadcast it. For example, how many Messengers are there? Apple, FOX, Telegram have a responsibility because of their reach.

Anyway you haven't addressed the downsides I posted. All you do is ignore them in favor of the upsides. I could be an anarcho capitalist and insist on the unlimited right to property, also. Saying it's a moral right and ignoring any downsides.

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Karunamon 3843 days ago
Roughly 3/4 of Americans have access to the internet[1] (and more than half of them are over 65) as of two years ago, which blows the "limited number of platforms" argument away quite handily. The number of individual outlets you can get your news from is functionally unlimited.

The mass media has a responsibility all right, but not the one you think they do.

[1]: https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/2013computeruse.pdf

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EGreg 3843 days ago
What makes you think that there is an unlimited number of mass media platforms?

And what do you think their responsibility actually is? I thought they had rights to say whatever they want and responsibility is optional...

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Karunamon 3843 days ago
Functionally unlimited, not mathematically infinite. No human has the time to meaningfully evaluate all of them.

And I think their responsibility is the conditions under which they were given broadcast licenses in the first place. Something about serving the public good.

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EGreg 3843 days ago
So there you go. That's regulation.
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