Tech Companies Like Facebook and Twitter Are Drawing Lines. It’ll Be Messy.

The ghost of MySpace haunting Facebook and Twitter

☰Post Partisan | OpinionThe ghost of MySpace haunting Facebook and TwitterFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on April 11 in Washington. That model is something that economists call "network effects," which are basically what they sound like. Industries where network effects are strong tend toward monopoly, which is why pundits spend so much time fretting about Facebook's market power. Think of a product that doesn't have much in the way of network effects — say, a 2018 Nissan Rogue. Facebook and Twitter are not at death's door, but their eventual demise just got a little bit likelier.

Tech Companies Like Facebook and Twitter Are Drawing Lines. It'll Be Messy.

in the same way From its earliest days, Silicon Valley has been animated by near-absolutist understanding of free speech. Other than exceptions for fraud, pornography or specific threats, the prevailing view among many tech platforms has been to allow pretty much anyone to post pretty much anything. These sensibilities are even enshrined in American law, which gives companies broad immunity from prosecution for what their users post. Last week, Facebook announced a new plan to remove misinformation that it determines might lead to imminent harm. Online services — not just Facebook but also Google, Twitter, Reddit and even those far removed from news and politics, like Spotify — are rethinking their relationship with the offline world.

The ghost of MySpace haunting Facebook and Twitter

☰Post Partisan | OpinionThe ghost of MySpace haunting Facebook and TwitterFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on April 11 in Washington. That model is something that economists call "network effects," which are basically what they sound like. Industries where network effects are strong tend toward monopoly, which is why pundits spend so much time fretting about Facebook's market power. Think of a product that doesn't have much in the way of network effects — say, a 2018 Nissan Rogue. Facebook and Twitter are not at death's door, but their eventual demise just got a little bit likelier.

according to From its earliest days, Silicon Valley has been animated by near-absolutist understanding of free speech. Other than exceptions for fraud, pornography or specific threats, the prevailing view among many tech platforms has been to allow pretty much anyone to post pretty much anything. These sensibilities are even enshrined in American law, which gives companies broad immunity from prosecution for what their users post. Last week, Facebook announced a new plan to remove misinformation that it determines might lead to imminent harm. Online services — not just Facebook but also Google, Twitter, Reddit and even those far removed from news and politics, like Spotify — are rethinking their relationship with the offline world.

Tech Companies Like Facebook and Twitter Are Drawing Lines. It'll Be Messy.