Free speech in the age of deplatforming

As a staunch supporter of free speech, I’m concerned about the trend of major social media companies “deplatforming” certain users. I also understand that it is within their legal rights to deny service to those who violate their rules.
First Amendment protections are from government censorship and don’t apply to private companies. But in the internet age, services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are the new public spaces for discourse.
I realize that social media firms are in a tough position. They want an advertiser-friendly environment and are now having to police content for fake news, harassment and hate speech, especially speech that could incite violence.
Most people would agree it is a good idea for social media services to ban unrepentant trolls like Alex Jones who repeatedly push fake news and conspiracy theories. They pollute those platforms with lies and deception.
But social media companies run the risk of shutting down legitimate debate if they go too far with their enforcement of what they consider acceptable speech. Already Facebook and Twitter have cast their nets too wide and shut down users that they shouldn’t have.
Here are some recent examples:

• Chuck Ross, a reporter at The Daily Caller, was suspended from Twitter after making a "learn to code" joke because it was considered harassment. (Reason; March 11, 2019)
• Actor and outspoken conservative James Woods was locked out of his Twitter account, after being suspended for “abusive behavior” by paraphrasing American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. (NTD; May 3, 2019)
• Twitter banned a parody account that made fun of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.), as well as the account’s creator and operator, Michael Morrison. (Reason; May 7, 2019)
• Twitter suspended a user for tweeting links to 3D printed gun designs. (Reason; May 17, 2019)
• Facebook deleted without warning or explanation the Banting7DayMealPlan user group. The group had 1.65 million users who post testimonials and other information regarding the efficacy of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. (Reason; May 24, 2019)

Meanwhile, critics note, Twitter and Facebook still allow violent groups like Hamas to use their platforms. That makes their policies appear arbitrary and capricious.

Related articles:

2018 was the year we (sort of) cleaned up the internet (Mashable; Dec. 26, 2018)

How Should Facebook (and Twitter, and YouTube, and …) Decide What Speech To Allow? (Reason; Dec. 31, 2018)

Should Twitter, Facebook, and Others Delete Provably Wrong Material? (Bloomberg Businessweek; March 5, 2019)

Facebook Has Every Right To Ban Louis Farrakhan and Alex Jones. But It's Still a Bad Idea. (Reason; May 3, 2019)

Here’s How Facebook Should Really Handle Alex Jones (Politico; May 3, 2019)

Content Moderation At Scale Is Impossible: Facebook Still Can't Figure Out How To Deal With Naked Breasts (Techdirt; May 6, 2019)

Photo: Twitter-inspired art from “Antisocial” photo series by Mike Campau.

E-sports league getting collectable trading cards

For generations, sports fans have collected trading cards featuring their favorite players in baseball, basketball and other sports. Now Upper Deck is coming out with trading cards featuring players and teams from a professional video game league, the Overwatch League.
It will mark the first time an esports league has had trading cards, according to a May 13 news release touting the deal.
“Overwatch League fans will now be able to buy, open, collect, and trade cards with other collectors across the globe through Upper Deck e-Pack, the patent-pending platform that allows fans to easily access trading card packs from anywhere in the world using a smart phone, tablet, or computer,” the news release said. “What makes the e-Pack system truly unique is the ability for users to get actual physical versions of cards sent directly to them at any time.”
The first Overwatch League-licensed trading card set will release on June 19.
Upper Deck cards have featured the world’s greatest athletes, including Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods and more. Are esports players in the same class? Many people don’t even consider esports to be a legitimate sport.
I think it’s premature to put esports players on collectable cards. The Overwatch League only finished its inaugural season last year.
Meanwhile, one sport that could benefit from trading cards is the Legends Football League. The women’s football league, which got its start as the Lingerie Football League in 2009, has been promising trading cards since at least March 2011.
However, to my knowledge, the LFL has never come out with any physical trading cards. It has produced digital images of what the face of the cards would look like. But nothing yet for fans and collectors.

Photo: The first Overwatch League-licensed trading card set will release online on June 19 and will showcase fan-favorite players and teams from the league’s inaugural season. (PR Newswire)

K-pop music invasion brought to you by YouTube, social media

The Korean pop music invasion of the United States has picked up steam in recent months with tours by K-pop boy band BTS and girl group Blackpink.
You’d never know about the phenomenon if you listen to American radio, which is dominated by iHeartRadio. K-pop music doesn’t get airplay on the major U.S. radio stations.
Instead, K-pop reached its audience outside of Korea through YouTube and other online media.
On April 27, I attended the sold-out Blackpink concert in Hamilton, Ontario, with my 13-year-old daughter. The atmosphere was electric and the crowd filled with super fans of the quartet.
Blackpink members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé performed their hit songs and danced up a storm. It was a slickly produced performance, complete with a killer house band, big video screens, multiple stage elevators, and the requisite lasers, fog machines and pyrotechnics. The crowd sang along and danced to their big hits, including “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” “Kill This Love” and “Whistle.”
The next day, by chance, we met the South Korean group at a restaurant at Toronto Pearson International Airport. We told them how much we enjoyed their show and they thanked us before we were quickly shooed away by their management.
Blackpink made their U.S. concert debut at Coachella on April 12. They then kicked off the North American leg of their “Blackpink In Your Area” world tour on April 17 in Los Angeles.
The group is performing in six North American cities. In addition to L.A. and Hamilton, they are making stops in Chicago, Newark, Atlanta and Fort Worth.
Blackpink is filling a void in girl vocal groups in the U.S. The music scene in the states at the moment is dominated by solo female artists, led by Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. Blackpink is “squad goals” for young girls who’d like to belong to a tight-knit group of friends.

My Twitter coverage of Blackpink’s visit to Canada:

It’s happening #Blackpink (April 27)

Incredible show by Blackpink tonight. (April 27)

Blackpink performed hits like “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” “Whistle” and “Kill This Love.” (April 27)

Met the ladies of Blackpink at Toronto Pearson International Airport this afternoon. My 13-year-old daughter was thrilled. Nice surprise. No photos. Didn’t want to intrude too much. (April 28)

News articles about Blackpink and K-pop:

What the Rise of Black Pink and BTS Says About the Future of K-pop (Vulture; Aug. 28, 2018)

How Blackpink Booked a North American Arena Tour Before Playing a Single U.S. Show (Billboard; Feb. 20, 2019)

Why K-Pop Is Finally Breaking Into the U.S. Mainstream (Billboard; Feb. 28, 2019)

Inside Blackpink’s U.S. Takeover: How the K-Pop Queens Are Changing the Game (Billboard; Feb. 28, 2019)

With ‘Kill This Love,’ K-pop queens Blackpink have made YouTube and iTunes history (Vox; April 8, 2019)

Blackpink proves BTS isn’t the only K-pop group that can find success in US (USA Today; April 16, 2019)

Blackpink Proved Why They’re the Biggest Modern Girl Group (Jezebel; May 3, 2019)

Photos: Blackpink, tour announcement and cover of Billboard magazine.