Something I’ve been thinking about for awhile is the idea that the primary places of public discourse are now privately owned online social networks. Facebook, Twitter, video games, etc. This is where we meet and discuss everything from matters of personal to social importance. This lawsuit about a game player suing over being kicked out of a multi-player game got me thinking about it most recently.

In addition to government laws, those conversations are now subject to company Terms of Service, profit motives and technical requirements. That strikes me as a negative turn for free speech and political discussion. On the other hand, the platforms are so much more powerful now than a physical town square or other older models. I’d like to find some good people to interview about this and see if there really is a story here. What do you think? Who would you suggest I interview? Let me know.

Another example: US Energy Secretary Steven Chu just joined Facebook in order to discuss energy policy there.