Recent reports indicate that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is considering an initiative to build a new social media platform. Many left-leaning Twitter users are seeking alternative platforms following Elon Musk’s takeover of the company. The Daily Wire reports on the initiative:
The initiative, codenamed P92, could be accessed by Facebook and Instagram users with their existing credentials. Adam Mosseri, who oversees Instagram, is leading the project.
“We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” Meta said in a statement provided to The Platformer. “We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” CNN further expounds on Meta’s plans, reporting:
The platform, plans for which were earlier reported by Platformer and MoneyControl, would be decentralized, meaning users could ostensibly create different servers or communities, each with their own rules rather than one central platform controlled by Meta. The concept is similar to Reddit or Discord, but a departure from how Meta’s other platforms function.
From a conservative perspective, Twitter has been criticized for a variety of reasons, including its perceived bias against conservative voices and its role in spreading left-wing ideologies. One of the main criticisms leveled against Twitter from the conservative side is that the platform has a bias against conservative voices, with some arguing that Twitter has engaged in censorship and de-platforming of conservative voices. For example, some conservatives have argued that Twitter’s policies on hate speech and harassment are selectively enforced, with conservative voices being targeted more frequently than their liberal counterparts.
However, Elon Musk took over the company intending to create a true free-speech platform without bias toward anyone. Musk’s support for free speech is often applauded, as many people value free speech as a fundamental right that must be protected. They view Musk’s stance as a rejection of censorship and suppression of conservative voices on social media platforms. The Daily Wire reported on Musk’s plan:
Musk previously told advertisers that he acquired Twitter to “have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” He has meanwhile expressed a desire to refrain from promoting what he deems to be radical Left-wing and Right-wing content on the site and vowed that the social media platform would not become a “free-for-all hellscape” where users could breach the law with impunity or splinter into “echo chambers.”
This threatened the left’s grip over virtually every social media platform, where they can deem prominent conservative voices as violating their policies, and has many woke Twitter users running for the hills. Some of the wokesters moved to Mastodon, a decentralized social network launched in 2016. Mastodon reportedly grew its user base from 300,000 users to more than 2.5 million in the weeks after Musk took over Twitter. However, its growth has slowed in recent months, as users struggle with the platform’s nuances that come with being decentralized. This provides Meta an opportunity to create a more functional and user-friendly decentralized platform.
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