Member-only story
Nationalize Social Media?
Nationalizing social media is hardly a new idea. Just use your favorite privately owned, ad-supported search engine to find “nationalize [your favorite privately owned, ad-supported social media company]” and you will find ample argument on the subject. I have a small contribution to make to that debate.
Built into the idea of nationalization is the meta notion of “go big or go home.” Everyone wants to extirpate everything. Tweets about tweaks do not go viral, and if you can’t go viral, why bother? (Try putting “change social media incrementally” into that search engine and see what happens.) I, too, would get a kick out of posting something that garners fifteen minutes of anonymous fame, but this call for the tiniest of seminal adjustments is not likely to be it.
When I was much younger, I went through basic training in the Army. Physical training was part of the process. Most PT was conducted by a drill sergeant barking orders. At one point, I had injured my leg and so could not do the exercises of the day. My drill sergeant solved the problem very simply. It was February in North Carolina, brisk but not scary cold. He ordered me to take off my outerwear like all the other trainees who were about to work up an organized sweat. That was it. How I kept warm was up to me. I got as much exercise that…