8k8 It Shouldn’t Matter So Much Whether Elon Musk Buys Twitter

Whether or not Elon Musk ends up acquiring Twitter, his plans have caused consternation because of a simple truth: The owners of social media sites have too much power. Much of the nation’s public discourse is conducted in forums owned by Mark Zuckerberg and a handful of rival billionaires and is regulated by algorithms concealed from public scrutiny.

The oligarchs of the internet not only command larger audiences than the media barons of earlier eras; they operate under fewer constraints. That is because government has abandoned the principle that mass media companies have special obligations to society, and it has allowed a few big social networks to suffocate competition, leaving users and advertisers without practical choices or leverage.

Better laws could help to revive competition, restrain harmful behavior and even realize the potential of social media to strengthen American democracy rather than undermine it. In short, policymakers can ensure the question of who owns Twitter, or Instagram or TikTok, doesn’t matter quite so much.

The best way to limit the power of any individual social media network is to make room for new networks and, perhaps even more important, for third-party sites that allow users to customize their online experience: combining content from multiple sites, controlling what kids can see and other features someone has imagined and needs a chance to make real.

Two changes. in particular. would make a big difference: Mandating communication among sites, and allowing third-party companies to obtain user data with the users’ permission.

The technical term for these changes is interoperability, and it is not exactly a radical idea. A person with a Gmail account can send messages to a person with a Yahoo account because email systems are interoperable. Forcing companies to work together makes it easier for people to manage their personal information, and it holds companies accountable for the quality of their services. Because anyone can send a message to a Gmail account, Gmail needs to fight for market share.

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