The Case for Public Ownership of Twitter

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IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology

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Elon Musk’s attempt this year to purchase Twitter and privately manage the social media company highlights a new tension between public benefits and private control of this popular public-media platform.

In this talk, Gregg Pascal Zachary presents a novel way of thinking about how to sustain Twitter for the public worldwide.

Public ownership is not a panacea and may include significant participation by civic actors and philanthropic foundations.

A "public option" for Twitter may enable a company struggling to survive on a for-profit basis to continue to produce public good while enhancing Twitter's commitment to fairness and accuracy in information.

Gregg Pascal Zachary, 1 August 2022, "The Case for Public Ownership of Twitter: the future of Digital Services, Civic Participation, and the Dissemination of Techno-Scientific Knowledge," IEEE International Symposium on Digital Privacy and Social Media, San Jose, CA, 1 August 2022, pre-recorded. https://attend.ieee.org/isdpsm-2022//

In this talk, Gregg Pascal Zachary presents a novel way of...