Free speech as protected by government is a relic of the past. Today, massive corporations exercise total control over the First Amendment. This means that these tech corps control the news, the various, ever-changing narratives, and even the outcomes of elections. Enter Elon. It is not hyperbole to state that his purchase of Twitter has altered the course of US history, and if he remains committed to relatively absolute free speech, this course correction will bring profoundly positive change. Twitter is the de facto public square of the United States. It is public speech incarnate. But the path that Twitter was previously on was one of censorship and control. It appears that Musk is making good on his commitment to free speech, returning the First Amendment to the American people. He has become the steward of the First Amendment itself. I’m reminded of a much-maligned quote from a 1981 interview with Friedrich Hayek:
“it is possible for a dictator to govern in a liberal way. And it is also possible for a democracy to govern with a total lack of liberalism. Personally I prefer a liberal dictator to democratic government lacking liberalism.”
What we’re seeing is the rule of a liberal “dictator” in the domain of free speech. For better or worse, this development appears to have been necessary to wrest control of speech from the censorious mega corps that had previously exercised total control over the First Amendment in practice.
