#MeSocialMediaBannedToo?
Anyone who pays attention knows of social media shadow banning and related Big Tech interferences with political speech. Major figures like Alex Jones and Milo have suffered its debilitating communication and economic effects.
In congress, some are already contemplating the situation. It's now being reported that Facebook has banned Jones for 30 days. And Twitter's market fortunes are grim.
But down here at the grassroots, where rank-and-file voters live?
On Thursday, I wrote an American Scene Magazine essay titled "Whose house? Very Fake News CNN's shifting perspectives."
I set about posting links to it on various pro-Trump Facebook pages to which I subscribe. I often do this with essays, hoping to attract like-minded readers and build audience numbers.
In the past, no one had issues with this practice. I regularly post essay links to many sympathetic pages, and have succeeded in adding impressively to my daily audience. No complaints of any sort, from anyone.
But this time, after I'd posted the essay link on 10-or-so pages, I received a Facebook notice: "You're temporarily restricted from joining and posting to groups that you do not manage until tomorrow at 7:00 PM. If you think you're seeing this by mistake, please let us know."
I replied that I'd violated no standard, and was perhaps being so penalized in error. I've not received a Facebook reply. And I checked at this Friday, 2:55 PM CST writing. I'm still restricted.
Why?
My post had included the topic tags Trump, Blumenthal, Kaitlin Collins, media, politics, White House, Obama, transgender, immigrant. And it may be that one or more of those had triggered some automatic banning mechanism.
That would make this political viewpoint discrimination. As I noted earlier, discussion of Facebook and other Big Tech powers (like Twitter and Youtube) manipulating services to clamp down on open discourse has already begun in Congressional hearings.
There is dangerous potential for Big Tech to arbitrarily set the parameters of popular political dialogue and influence electoral outcomes. Nothing so dramatic as midnight sledgehammers destroying printing presses. Judicious employ of technical skullduggery like "restrictions" and"shadow bannings" can be sufficient to stifle free citizen conversation.
Perhaps my Facebook restriction was an error. Or, I may have joined the ranks of Alex Jones, Milo, Mike Cernovich, and others, albeit in an unpleasant way.
Addendum: I also post American Scene Magazine blog links on Twitter. And, as I include topic tags, I know these messages should reach many more than my own followers. But my blog's traffic record shows nearly no one on that social media venue visits my blog. Hmm.
Anyone who pays attention knows of social media shadow banning and related Big Tech interferences with political speech. Major figures like Alex Jones and Milo have suffered its debilitating communication and economic effects.
In congress, some are already contemplating the situation. It's now being reported that Facebook has banned Jones for 30 days. And Twitter's market fortunes are grim.
But down here at the grassroots, where rank-and-file voters live?
On Thursday, I wrote an American Scene Magazine essay titled "Whose house? Very Fake News CNN's shifting perspectives."
I set about posting links to it on various pro-Trump Facebook pages to which I subscribe. I often do this with essays, hoping to attract like-minded readers and build audience numbers.
In the past, no one had issues with this practice. I regularly post essay links to many sympathetic pages, and have succeeded in adding impressively to my daily audience. No complaints of any sort, from anyone.
But this time, after I'd posted the essay link on 10-or-so pages, I received a Facebook notice: "You're temporarily restricted from joining and posting to groups that you do not manage until tomorrow at 7:00 PM. If you think you're seeing this by mistake, please let us know."
I replied that I'd violated no standard, and was perhaps being so penalized in error. I've not received a Facebook reply. And I checked at this Friday, 2:55 PM CST writing. I'm still restricted.
Why?
My post had included the topic tags Trump, Blumenthal, Kaitlin Collins, media, politics, White House, Obama, transgender, immigrant. And it may be that one or more of those had triggered some automatic banning mechanism.
That would make this political viewpoint discrimination. As I noted earlier, discussion of Facebook and other Big Tech powers (like Twitter and Youtube) manipulating services to clamp down on open discourse has already begun in Congressional hearings.
There is dangerous potential for Big Tech to arbitrarily set the parameters of popular political dialogue and influence electoral outcomes. Nothing so dramatic as midnight sledgehammers destroying printing presses. Judicious employ of technical skullduggery like "restrictions" and"shadow bannings" can be sufficient to stifle free citizen conversation.
Perhaps my Facebook restriction was an error. Or, I may have joined the ranks of Alex Jones, Milo, Mike Cernovich, and others, albeit in an unpleasant way.
Addendum: I also post American Scene Magazine blog links on Twitter. And, as I include topic tags, I know these messages should reach many more than my own followers. But my blog's traffic record shows nearly no one on that social media venue visits my blog. Hmm.
posted by DC Larson at
July 27, 2018
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