Ensemble slam Plante over social media
Ensemble is trying to make a scandal out of how Mayor Plante has locked down her social media in response to an ongoing torrent of abuse. They can’t really think that she would even be reading the endless hateful insults she receives, but they’re pretending she’s “limiting Montrealers’ freedom of expression” and avoiding criticism by doing so.
Adding Toula’s response: “Those now upset #Montreal mayor Valérie Plante closed her Twitter account to comments are either oblivious or indifferent to the slurs, the sexist vitriol, the misogyny she’s been subjected to for years. Politicians should be accessible to their constituents, not online abusers.”
But that leaves open the question: how do you filter out the abuse yet allow legitimate comment to reach the mayor? I’m assuming that, till recently, Plante would have staffers scan her messages and hand off to her the ones they felt she needed to see. Maybe even these staffers got burned out looking at the abuse.
Maybe this is a job AI could do?
Joey 10:52 on 2024-09-11 Permalink
Yeah that’s really a stretch. For the record, I think we should follow three broad rules:
1. The personal accounts of public officials that are use, even occasionally, to do politics – at a broad level – should be considered public and accessible to all.
2. Official accounts should be open to all except those whose behaviour is really extreme (e.g., threatening, violent, etc., not just disagreement) – blocking should be a very last resort
3. Official accounts by all means should be able to turn off or restrict comments as long as the posts and comments are visible to all
Luc Ferrandez was notorious for getting into fights with constituents and then blocking them one-by-one. I think Trump has done the same. It’s not great.
walkerp 13:11 on 2024-09-11 Permalink
Send an email. Twitter is not a place of public discourse. It is privately-owned and managed as a fiefdom for Musk’s personal views. There is no obligation for politicians to participate freely there.
Nicholas 13:39 on 2024-09-11 Permalink
Should press releases have comment sections? Or the city website in general? CBC got rid of comments. QTs are still available, and people can still talk about whatever they want on the Nazi site. Why don’t we just let people do what they want, and if politicians are too restrictive they will get criticized for it.
Blork 13:14 on 2024-09-12 Permalink
That’s just stupid (referring to the closing of comments as a limit on freedom of expression). It’s a bit like when a store decides not to carry a particular book or magazine and people yell “censorship!” These dopes really ought to learn what censorship and “limits on freedom of expression” actually mean. (Pro tip: it applies if it’s by government or authoritarian decree and there are no other places to get/say the thing being contested. If you can go across the street and buy that book, or post your screed on your own Twitter account, then it’s not censorship and your freedom of expression has not been limited.)
Maybe we should just accept and declare that social media is a failed experiment. While it’s still useful and beneficial in a few niche corners, the broader scope of it has been enshittified beyond recognition. Ads, algorithms, and idiots have completely ruined it.
Social media platforms are (arguably) still somewhat useful as broadcast mediums (as in, for companies, politicians, etc. to get their messages out) but they’re only useful for one-way messaging. As soon as you open comments it all goes to shit.