The funny thing is that when it comes to governing online discussions, it seems like hardly anyone wants power? We would rather that someone else handle the tough calls about spam prevention, moderation, and abuse. This then gets handled partly automatically, but mostly outsourced to large teams of workers. We are unlikely to see a large-scale movement towards self-reliance by users, or any government in the U.S. or…
There's a lesson about political organizing in here, which is that whoever cares the most about controlling discussions is going to end up doing it, even if it costs them money. Whether it's being a government official or NGO executive who can pressure tech companies, going on a moderation career track inside a big tech company that might not be the most remunerative, or just starting your own online community, actually acquiring said power will beat appealing to principles every time.