The collapse of centralised social sites has begun with the realisation we cannot be objective

Elon Musk has recently announced that statements like "from the river to the sea" or calls for genocide will not be tolerated on X, and although on the surface it sounds like a reasonable approach, I believe it only exposes further the problem with having a centralised social space, and particularly one that intends to moderate in objective ways.

Numerous times on BBS we have discussed ideas of obectivity and subjectivity, including debates around using AI to make decisions less subjective. But even AI knows itself that it is in fact inferior to humans in this regard. While it can sort and manage large volumes of data, it is based on the bias of it's creator, and cannot even reflect on it's inherent bias or strive for objectivity. 

Without (honestly) trying to cause offence, I wanted to show some replies to demonstrate some points.

Issues of what is free speech / hate speech:

Hate speech can be defined as any speech which expresses a prejudice and is abusive or threatening. I did ask in a previous post for BBS to clarify where they will draw the lines on this and statements like "from the river to the sea", or how far the claws of right wing Zionism prevail on this platform.

METABBS itself can censor or moderate it's content, but will the platform itself censor what communities will join? That is where the real opportunities of decentralising lie. 

I ask again would the platform accept a community which is pro-Hamas? Would even members of Hamas be welcome to post? It applies to many areas and topics. Maybe you want an example that is currently less internationally toxic.. would BBS allow IRA commmunities to discuss topics like a referendum for a united Ireland, which would be grossly offensive to others even within Ireland and the UK? Would chants like "oh ah up the Ra" be tolerated? Can lines be drawn on some conflicts, or some topics, and not others? I don't really believe so.. 

Part of the issue here is that even the very definition of hate speech is subjective, one may feel offended, abused or threatened by some while others do not, as you can see in some examples, you may not even care what someone else considers a hate speech somewhere else in the world. Even jokes may be said and taken light hearted by both sides in any debate. 

And so it is difficult to know where lines can or should be drawn. Other examples include topics like Trans rights where some could be offended and brand it hate speech for someone who appears like a woman to be called a man or a woman, or for a woman to be referred to as cis-woman. 

Here we saw several examples, left as replies on Musk's tweet, of how much of a can of worms he is opening for himself in trying to police such things on X. 

Even when someone says they are being objective, we live in times where many don't really believe it any more, because in any discussion you will always relate more to one side or how they justify their views. Even someone could say they never support terrorists, but we see in each of the conflicts mentioned how both sides can claim the other to be the terrorist. Even some this week on TikTok have decided to debate Bin Laden, or you can see how Nelson Mandela was treated for decades before the narratives changed.

It is becoming easier and more common to question the very narratives, the language of what is said. Would BBS consider communities like the IRA or Hamas to be terrorist, or consider they are resistance movements which can have their own discussions in their own communities? Or course there are far more examples but the main point really is that it becomes more and more impossible to be objective about such things.

Is it a question of what morality a platform should have or try to impose? And based on who's world view? I think that is more what Musk has done to X. Maybe BBS will allow any and all to create their communities and within them discuss freely under their own rules, including whatever censorship they decide.

Perhaps you can leave some thoughts, what you think the platform should do, or where you would draw any lines. Maybe you are excited by the possible new communities that we are told are on the way here. What is the most controversial community you would like to see here?