My friend Suzie Had this warning on her Facebook Profile.  Facebook, Which owns THEIR SYSTEM decided that whatever article she clicked like on was false, based on what the government (or World Health Organization in this case) said.   It’s their right to censor what is on THEIR platform.

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TickTock (sp?) and Google (YouTube) have that right. Their platforms are owned privately by those companies.  That gives them the right.   BUT, you do not have to live by the rules!  Take back the web from these “Social (engineering) media companies”.

Free speech is something we enjoy in the US and a lot of other places around the world.  It’s a god-given right of all humans.  BUT you don’t have the right to be heard on someone else’s platform. Just like you don’t have the RIGHT to be on the NBC evening news.  NBC has that right and they can allow you on there if they deem it important.  Just like these social media platforms. Yes, they make it much easier to get heard (or read) but they don’t guarantee it.  They also control who sees what and when.  They advertise against it (which is their business model).  But, to use them as your “platform” to be heard is not always the best plan.  It’s like building your house on rented land.

I’m not here to say who’s right and who’s wrong.  That is up to you, but the example I use is Alex Jones. Regardless of what you think of his opinions, he is a good example of someone that is being de-platformed by the main stream social media companies.  Apple, Google (YouTube), Facebook and Twitter (and I’m sure many more) have made it so you can’t find his stuff in those places. BUT, he still is out there. He has a podcast (several I think, I don’t listen to him).  He has a website and can say and do what he wants.  You can get his podcast and read his articles if you want.  You know why?   Because he has his OWN platform. Getting the word out is a little harder for him, but he’s still saying what he wants, when he wants.

You can do that as well.

Get your own WordPress BASED website (Not WordPress DOT COM).  Any webhost that can install WordPress works.  I use A2 hosting (see banner on the side bar of this page)   It’s cheap, mostly easy and the great thing is I OWN IT.   I can put what I want on this site and nobody can tell me to take it down. Nobody can just take it down because they don’t like it or it doesn’t comply with some sort of rule.  I can post Pictures, Videos, Audio Podcasts or just type whatever I want here.  IT’s MY WEBSITE.  Does not belong to the Social (engineering) Media companies.

Yes, it’s true that more people “COULD” see a post on social (potentially) than this site.  But if Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube do not want me to say something, they can take it out.   If they don’t like something on this page, they CAN’T take it out.

Freedom of speech is just like all the other rights out there.  Use it or lose it.