[Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 221, Issue 8

[Dr. Emma Briant]

I hope it’s ok to chime in. I thought Andrew’s essay was interesting, but
Sky is undoubtedly right about the inequality of actual reality. I
generally err towards free speech myself… but don’t necessarily think that
means everyone pushing fascism should be able to have a YouTube channel
with equal reach to MSNBC or the BBC... so “marketplace of ideas is
supposed to provide equal access to all ideas”
I disagree strongly with. Ability to speak does not and should not require
equal ability to amplify yourself into every corner of the media.

Our digital communication infrastructure is organised presently to
advantage deliberate influence operations, through its very organization,
and indeed to advantage the most hate driven and ‘engaging’ content. I
don’t think we need equal access to this. Government shouldn’t be in a
position to take speech like this down but surveillance capitalism
shouldn’t have been able to profit from massive scale manipulation either.
Indeed if anything there is more of this circulating than truthful sober
reality based information because it’s data driven. Free speech shouldn’t
guarantee algorithmic amplification and mass harassment.

Emma

On Tue, 6 Dec 2022 at 19:25, Sarah T. Roberts via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> My word, Andrew — it sounds like you want to interfere when enterprises’
> right to operate their businesses ad they see fit, a free speech issue if
> ever there was one!
>
> Or, back down here in reality, we can actually identify that platforms
> operate within a series of internal policies and legal/regulatory regimes,
> and people have a right to opine as to how they would like those things to
> operate.
>
> Or perhaps the entire business model of commercializing human
> self-expression to the cynical nadir where it has landed is rotten to the
> core.
>
> But it takes some pretzel logic to come to the determination that
> “liberals” and , even worse yet, “academia,”are responsible, via asking for
> various kinds of concessions and regulations to protect users of all kinds,
> for right-wing autocracy. Shrug.
> —
>
> S a r a h  T.  R o b e r t s,  P h. D.
>
> behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
>
> > Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM
> > To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech
> > It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is
> > one of free speech suppression...
> >
> > "Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia
> > who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free
> > speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.
> >
> > The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a
> > story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say
> > nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is
> > astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?
> >
> > Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as
> > partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party
> > tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).
> >
> > If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this...
> >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$
> <
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$
> >
> >
> > Best,
> > Andrew
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-- 
Dr Emma L Briant

Owner: Maven of Persuasion LLC
Fellow at Central European University's Center for Media, Data and Society
Associate at University of Cambridge, Center for Financial Reporting &
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