[bee_rider]

I don’t really think of social media companies as being the public square. They are more like private clubs, just with really low standards for membership.

IMO the bigger problem is the total lack of a public square these days.

The internet is more pseudonymous than we’re used to dealing with, compared to the in-person public square. People behave in ways that would normally cause their acquiescences to use their freedom of association, and avoid them. Online attempts at a public square tend to be pretty annoying, as a result.

[petralithic]

These private clubs are the de-facto quasi-public square, is my point. In virtual space, the government is not hosting some sort of public social media so people are forced to use private corporations' services to voice their thoughts.