Hate groups expose the cynicism of social media platforms

Those praising social media for turfing out white supremacists (and those demanding free speech from it), are missing a deeper problem, writes John Herrman: that these commercial simulations of liberal public discourse are broken replicas of it, ultimately ruled by fiat.

But what gave these trolls power on platforms wasnt just their willingness to act in bad faith and to break the rules and norms of their environment. It was their understanding that the rules and norms of platforms were self-serving and cynical in the first place. After all, these platforms draw arbitrary boundaries constantly and with much less controversy against spammers, concerning profanity or in response to government demands.

Believing that private companies must embody or guarantee constitutional rights is one of the internet's worst mistakes. It's not about whether they say yes or no; the plain fact is they can't, even if they want to. They are never free of outside pressure or internal cunning. The more principled they appear to be (out of idealism or cynicism) the more grotesque it is when reality – governments, regulators, lawsuits, mobs, boycotts, attacks, the invisible fist of the market – bites.

Platforms offering "free speech" or anything that looks remotely like it are asking you to speechcrop, providing access to their audience only so long as you are using their voice. That a handful of tech companies might become the only public square we have, or at least the only attention market, is a growing problem.