SO LET'S RETURN TO OUR MAIN STORY.
TOXIC POLITICS AND EVEN STREET PROTESTS AND THE ROLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS.
ED WILLIAMS IS A DIGITAL PIONEER WHO COFOUNDED THE PLATFORM BLOGGER IN THE LATE '90s.
HE WENT ON TO COFOUND TWITTER AND BE THE COMPANY'S CEO, BUT THE BILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR STEPPED DOWN AND TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO MEDIA.
THAT'S AN ONLINE PUBLISHING PLATFORM DESIGNED TO SHOWCASE LONGER AND MORE NUANCE CONTENT.
WILL TOLD WALTER THAT WHILE TWITTER NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBLEILITY FOR THE QUALIT OF ITS CONTENT, IT SHOULDN'T RISK LOSING ITS PLACE FOR THE EXCHANGE OF IMPORTANT IDEAS.
SO YOU BROGER WHICH GETS EVERYBODY EASILY UNDER THE INTERNET WITH BLOGS, THEN YOU DO TWITTER, WHICH BECOMES A GREAT NEW FORM OF SOCIAL IMMEMEDIA ANU USE TODAY SAY IT WAS TO KEK US.
IT GAVE PEOPLE A PLATFORM TO CONNECT US, IT WOULD MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
DID THAT WORK OUT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE ARE XWAKTLY MY WORDS, BUT CERTAINLY PART F O THE INTENTION.
WHEN I GOT EXCITED ABOUT THE INTERNET IN THE LATE '90s, TO ME THE EXCITING THING WAS EXCHANGING IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE WITH ANYONE IN THE WORLD.
THAT'S STILL THE MOST EXCITING THING ABOUT THE INTERNET TO ME AND SO I BASICALLY SPENT MY CAREER BUILDING TOOLS THAT HELP PEOPLE SHARE THOSE IDEAS AND YEAH, SO IT WAS BLOGGER THEN TWITTER WE MADE IT MUCH, MUCH EASIER AND WE DID HAVE A BELIEF AND ETHOS MEANS MORE BETTER IDEAS SUCCEED.
SOCIETY IS BETTER.
I WOULD SAY PART OF THAT IS TRUE.
I THINK WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF EVIDENCE OF THAT.
I WOULD SAY IT'S TURNED OUT TO BE MORE COMPLICATED AS WELL.
WHY?
WE KNEW THERE WERE BAD ACTORS FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF INTERNET.
SPAM FOR INSTANCE AND MISINFORMATION, BUT THE IDEA WAS THE CROWD WOULD OVERWHELM THE MINORITY AND THE CROWD WOULD BE GENERALLY GOOD AND THERE WAS VALUE TO DEBATING THINGS IN PUBLIC.
I THINK THE THING THAT WAS TRICKY IS THAT A BAD ACTOR CAN WROEFR WHEM MANY, MANY GOOD ACTORS.
THE WAY THESE SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED.
OR HAVE BEEN DESIGNED.
THE WAY THEY'VE BEEN DESIGNED.
DO YOU THINK THERE'S SOMETHING INHERENT IN THE AGO RHYTHM THAT --
I THINK A TON OF IT IS JUST HUMAN NATURE.
WE REACT TO FEAR AND THREAT AND SOMEONE SHOUTING FIRE IN THE THEATRE.
SO THAT PERSON CAN RUIN THE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
THAT PART IS JUST PHYSICS AND HUMAN NATURE AND SO THAT WHEN YOU REPLICATE THAT ONLINE AND YOU GIVE ACCESS TO THE WHOLE WORLD TO RUIN AN EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, TURNS OUT THERE'S ENOUGH BAD ACTORS IN THE WHOLE WORLD TO REEK A LOT OF HAVOC.
BY HAVING THAT SO EMBEDDED IN THE SYSTEM OF TWITTER, DID THAT HELP PEOPLE SAY THINGS THEY WOULDN'T SAY FACE-TO-FACE?
I THINK THE FOCUS ON AN NEHMETY IS A LITTLE OVERBLOWN ACTUALLY, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWITTER IS NOT BY DEFAULT ANONYMOUS.
BY DEFAULT, YOU PUT IN YOUR NAME.
IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE NOT FORCED TO PUT IN YOUR NAME AND TURNS OUT THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD REASONS FOR THAT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE LEARNED EVEN BACK IN BLOGGER DAYS THERE ARE PLACES WHERE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT RIGHT AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO CONNECT TO FELLOW CITIZENS AND IF THEY DO THAT IN THEIR NAME, THEY'LL GO TO JAIL AND SO TWITTER WAS USE D EARLY ON BY PEOPLE IN OPPRESSIVE REGIMES TO CONNECT AND SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO NOT DO THAT.
AND MOST PEOPLE USE TWITTER UNDER THEIR NAME AND MOST BAD ACTORS, PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT THERE SAYING THE WORST STUFF, I DON'T THINK THE MAJORITY OF THEM, I DON'T KNOW THE DATA ON THIS, ARE SAYING IT ANONYMOUSLY.
THEY'RE HAPPY TO BE [ BLEEP ] HOLES UNDER THEIR OWN NAME.
I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN SAY [ BLEEP ] HOLES.
YOU CAN SAY IT ON TWITTER, CAN'T YOU?
YEAH, BUT --
THE ONES THAT REALLY DRIVING PAID --
CONSEQUENCES MORE THAN SO AN NEHMETY IS RELATED TO A LACK OF CONSEQUENCES.
EVEN IF YOU'RE SAYING IT UNDER YOUR OWN NAME, THERE ARE VERY LITTLE CONSEQUENCES TO BEING HATEFUL ONLINE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF REWARDS DEPENDING ON WHAT COMMUNITY YOU'RE A PART OF.
SO THAT, I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.
WHAT IS THE ROOT?
I THINK THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IT'S NOT AN ONLINE THING.
IT'S HUMANS CAN HAVE TROUBLE GETTING ALONG.
WE GET ALONG FINE AND WORK TOGETHER AT DINNER.
YES.
IN DINNER WHEN YOU SAY WHO CAN BE AT THE DINNER.
IF YOU INVITE JUST ANYONE TO STOP BY A DINNER AND THEN YOU PROBABLY STILL HAVE BETTER BEHAVIOR THAN ONLINE.
I THINK THE FUNDAMENTAL THING IS IS WHEN PEOPLE ARE PIXELS ON A SCREEN, THERE IS SOMETHING INNATE ABOUT US THAT CAUSES US TO, THE, THE WAY WE'VE E VIOLAED ISN'T THAT, RIGHT?
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO SEE THE OTHER PEOPLE ONLINE AS PEOPLE.
AND THEY FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO BE, TO TREAT THEM AS PEOPLE AND THERE SEEM TO BE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THAT.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE CHALLENGE OF THE SYSTEMS IN GENERAL AND IF WE ALL THE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH THEM COME WITH THAT REALLY BIG CHALLENGE.
IS THERE SOME WAY WE SHOULD BE MAKING PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEY SAY ON TWIT TER?
YEAH.
RESPONSIBLE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR SURE, BUT I THINK THERE SHOULD BE -- YOU SHOULDN'T AUTOMATICALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO INTERRUPT OTHER CONVERSATIONS AND THIS WAS PART OF ACTUALLY THE PROTECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT INTO TWITTER CURRENTLY.
BUT I THINK THE WHOLE IDEA OF REPUTATION IS SOMETHING THAT WILL COME TO THE INTERNET AND I THINK THAT IS KIND OF IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S HOW SOCIETY WORKS IS YOU BUILD A REPUTATION AND YOU INSULT SOMEONE YOU'RE NO LONGER INVITED TO THE PARTY.
THAT SORT OF THING.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE REPUTATION OF THE USER.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE USER TAKING RESPONSIBLE THETY.
DO YOU THINK THE PLATFORMS SHOULD HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT GOES ON.
ABSOLUTELY.
THE PLATFORM HAS RESPONSIBILITY.
I THINK EVERYONE AT TWITTER WOULD AGREE THAT TWITTER HAS SOME RESPONSIBILITY.
I THINK WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING AND THE SERVICE THAT TWITTER PROVIDES TO THE WORLD WHICH I DO THINK IS IMPORTANT IN BEING THIS OPEN AND FREE PLATFORM, THAT WHERE IMPORTANT IDEAS ARE EXCHANGED AND MOVEMENTS ARE CREATED, YOU HAVE TO, IT'S VERY UNCLEAR TO ME AT LEAST THAT A LOT OF VERY SMART PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME.
HOW TO MAINTAIN THAT AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE NICE AND THERE SHOULD BE NO ABUSE AND THERE SHOULD BE NO LIKE I THINK PEOPLE ARE MESSY AND SOCIETY IS MESSY AND WE HAVE TO TAKE SOME GOOD WITH BAD AND WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO MAKE IT GOOD, BUT EVEN THE EXTREME OF WE'LL JUST GO ON THERE AND POLICE IT, IS JUST VERY NAIVE AND IMPACT CAL.
IT'S NOT DO ABLE.
AND IT GETS VERY NUANCED AS THE TO WHAT IS BAD BEHAVIOR.
THERE ARE THOUSAND S OF PEOPLE AND ACCOUNTS THAT POLICE THE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW.
NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT.
I ASK MY STUDENTS AT TULANE, IF YOU COULD INVENT A NEW FORM OF MEDIA R OR SOCIAL MEDIA THAT WOULDN'T HAVE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE OLD ONE, THEY SAY THE SAME THINGS YOU DO, WHICH IS PLACE WHERE PEOPLE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
PLACE WHERE THERE'S SOME CURE RATION.
A PLACE WHERE MAYBE YOU COULD BUILD YOUR REPUTATION AND LO AND BEHOLD, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN INVENTING MEDIUM SO IT'S EXPLAIN MEDIUM TO ME.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE ANYONE CAN WRITE AND PUBLISH AND ARTICLE IS THE MAIN FORM THAT PEOPLE PUBLISH ON MEDIUM.
SO ANYONE CAN GO ON THERE.
AND WRITE SOMETHING AND THOUSANDS, TENS OF THOUSANDS O PEOPLE DO THAT EVERY TA.
MOST PEOPLE JUST READ.
AND SO YOU CAN GO ON THERE AND YOU CAN FIND ARTICLES AND BLOG POSTS ABOUT EVERY TOPIC UNDER THE SUN.
I THINK ALMOST LITERALLY AND YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AND START TO GET PERSONALIZED AND REALLY GO AND LEARN ABOUT REALLY ANYTHING FROM TECHNICAL TOPICS TO POLITICS TO BUSINESS TO SCIENCE AND THERE'S BOTH PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS ON THERE WHO WORK FULL TIME ON MEDIUM.
THERE'S INDEPENDENT WRITERS.
THERE'S ORGANIZATIONS.
THERE'S ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE EXCHANGING IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE.
YOU BASE IT NOT ON ADVERTISING, BUT ON SUBSCRIPTIONS AND YOU PAY PEOPLE FOR THE CONTENT.
RIGHT.
THIS IS LIKE GOING BACK TO THE ONCEPT, BUT HIGH VALUE PIECES.
EXPLAIN THE THEORY.
YEAH SO THE THEORY IS THAT ADVERTISING, ESPECIALLY ADVERTISING ONLINE IS THE SELLING OF ATTENTION.
ALMOST ALL CONTENT ON THE INTERNET IS PAID FOR BY ADVERTISING.
THE WAY THESE SYSTEMS HAVE EVOLVED IS THE MOST ATTENTION FOR THE LEAST DOLLARS IS WHAT ADVERTISERS BY FOR THE MOST PART AND SO IF YOU APPLY THAT, IF YOU WANT TO PAY FOR THE CREATION OF SOMETHING WITH ADVERTISING, THE FORMULA BECOMES HOW LITTLE CAN I SPEND TO GET THE MOST ATTENTION.
EVEN IF IT'S CLICK BAIT.
MAKE A CAT STAND ON A PIANO.
GOES BACK TO YELLING FIRE IN THE THEATRE.
IF YOU YELL FIRE IN THE HEATER AND THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES, YOU WOULD DO THAT.
THAT IN MANY WAYS IS WHAT THE INTERNET HAS BECOME AND THE ADVERTISING ARE ALL REENFORCING THIS SYSTEM WHERE WHATEVER GETS THE MOST ATTENTION WINS AND AS CHEAPLY AS YOU CAN CREATE THAT MOST ATTENTION, THAT'S WHAT IT WORKS.
I ASSUME THE FLIP SIDE IS THAT A SUBSCRIPTION MODEL MEANS YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE SOMETHING OF VALUE OR PEOPLE WON'T PAY FOR IT.
THE MODEL IS IF WE PRODUCE SOMETHING GOOD, YOU PAY FOR IT.
IT HAS TO BE VALUABLE ENOUGH TO THE PERSON RECEIVING IT TO PAY FOR IT.
IF IT'S NOT, THEY STOP PAYING.
THE WHOLE BASIS.
IT'S A MUCH MORE DIRECT AND IT KEEPS US HONEST.
SO EVERYTHING ON MEDIUM, THERE'S SO ADVERTISING.
IT'S LIKE 'THE NEW YORK TIMES' AND OTHER PUBLISHERS WHERE EVERYTHING IS FOR FREE AND YOU CAN READ A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
YOU KEEP READING MORE.
WE ASK YOU TO PAY.
SO YOU GO TO MEDIUM COM AND SAY HERE'S WHAT I WANT AND START FOLLOWING THING ALMOST AS IF IT WERE TWITTER.
YOU HAVE THINGS YOU FOLLOW, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS IS CURE RATED, DEEP CONTENT.
AND YOU CAN FOLLOW ANYTHING FROM COOKING.
WE HAVE A PARTNER PUBLICATION WITH MARK BITMAN.
FORMER 'NEW YORK TIMES' FOOD COLUMNIST.
HE PUBLISHES AND EDITS A PUBLICATION CALLED HEATED THAT'S ABOUT FOOD.
YOU CAN SAY I'M INTERESTED IN COOKING, I WANT TO FOLLOW HEATED.
I WANT TO FOLLOW THIS INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR.
THIS TOPIC.
WHAT YOU U READ MAKES IT BETTER OVER TIME.
I LIKE THIS, DON'T LIKE THIS.
WE'LL SEND YOU AN E-MAIL.
GET THE APP.
YOU GREW UP ON A FARM IN A TINY TOWN IN NEBRASKA, RIGHT?
YEAH.
DID THAT HELP SHAPE YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT, YOUR DESIRE TO CONNECT AND PUBLISH?
I THINK IT REALLY DID A LOT OF THINGS.
ONE IS THAT I WAS VERY BORED ON THE FARM.
I THINK BOREDOM IS A GREAT THING FOR KIDS.
I THINK IT LEADS TO CREATIVITY.
I THINK I WORRY ABOUT THAT TODAY.
MEANING YOU WORRY THAT WE DON'T BORE OUR KIDS AND ALLOW THEM TO BE BORED ENOUGH.
I WAS JUST SO, I WAS VERY ISOLATED AND I WAS JUST IN MY MIND THINKING WHAT CAN I CREATE, WHAT CAN I DO?
AND SO CONSTANTLY TRYING TO INVENT THINGS.
NONE OF THEM WERE SUCCESSFUL, BUT IT WAS GETTING THAT HABIT.
BUT YOU ALSO LIKED MAGAZINES OR SOMETHING, RIGHT?
YEAH, SO I AS I GOT OLDER, I JUST REALLY WANTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE BIGGER WORLD.
I FELT LIKE AND I FOUND READING WAS A FANTASTIC WAY TO DO THAT.
PRE INTERNET READING MEANT MAGAZINES AND BOOKS SO I READ ABOUT THIS EVERYTHING.
AND I HAD THIS FELT LIKE AN EPIPHANY WHERE I READ A BOOK ABOUT BUSINESS OR SOMETHING AND LIKE OH MY GOSH, I CAN LEARN WHAT THIS PERSON LEARNED OVER YEARS OF WORK IN HOURS.
THAT'S LIKE A SUPERPOWER.
AND THAT I STILL FEEL THAT TO THIS DAY IS SOMETHING WE TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT THERE'S ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE OUT THERE AND YOU CAN GET IT BY PICKING UP A BOOK OR READING AN ARTICLE.
SO STARTED DOING THAT WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER AND I THINK THAT HAD A BIG PART OF GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THE INTERNET AND FINALLY, GROWING UP ON A FARM, WAS ENTREPRENEURSHIP WAS INNATE.
MEANING THIS IDEA THAT YOU HAVE TO BE SELF-RELIANT, THAT YOU, YOU AREN'T GOING TO GO NECESSARILY, THE MODEL ISN'T OH, GO FIND A JOB OR LINE UP AN INSTITUTION.
IT FELT VERY NATURAL TO ME FROM DAY ONE TO BE ON MY OWN.
SCARY, BUT WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU DO.
YOUR FIRST BIG COMPANY IS BLOGGER AND IN SOME WAYS, YOU AT LEAST POPULARIZED AND CREATE THE WORD BLOGGER, WHICH IS THIS NOTION THAT ANYBODY CAN PUBLISH ANYTHING AND ANYBODY IN THE WORLD CAN SEE IT.
YEAH.
WE CREATED BLOGGER 20 YEARS AGO LAST MONTH.
IS WHEN WE LAUNCHED BLOGGER.
AND PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT BEFORE THEN, IT WAS PRETTY HARD TO BLOG.
YOU HAD TO CODE YOUR OWN PAGES.
AND WHEN YOU CREATE BLOGGER, JUST A BOX.
JUST TYPE IN HERE AND HIT PUBLISH.
EXACTLY.
WEB LOVE AS PEOPLE CALLED THEM THEN EVENTUALLY BLOGS WERE PRETTY NAY ANCIENT.
MY FRIENDS MEG AND PAUL AND I SAID HEY, WE CAN MAKE THIS EASIER.
WE HAD TO WRITE CODE.
MAYBE MORE PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO DO THIS.
WE CALL ED THE BLOGGER, BLOGGER.COM WAS AVAILABLE.
JUST REGISTERED THE DOMAIN AND YEAH, IT WAS JUST A BIG BOX AND PUBLISH.
HOW DID YOU GET FROM THERE TO TWITTER?
WORKED ON BLOGGER FOR A FEW YEARS, FOUR YEARS.
INDEPENDENTLY THEN GOOGLE ACQUIRED IT IN 2003.
WORKED THERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH WAS GREAT.
LEARNED A LOT.
LEFT THERE.
STARTED A COMPANY.
WITH A FRIEND CALLED ODIA WHICH WAS A PODCASTING COMPANY IN 2005 OF ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE PODCASTS REALLY TOOK OFF.
THAT WAS GOING SIDEWAYS.
HAD A -- WITHIN THAT COMPANY, HAD A BRAINSTORM.
A HACKATHON, WE CALLED IT.
SOME OF THE GUYS THERE CAME UP WITH TWITTER AND WE RAN WITH THAT.
YOU SAID THAT TRUMP IS A SORT OF MASTER FOR BAD AT BEING ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE TWITTER THE FURTHER HIS OWN ENDS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
WELL, BI DON'T LIKE IT PERSONALLY, BUT I THINK IT'S FASCINATING THAT IN SOME WAYS, TRUMP IS LIKE AN EARLY TWITTER USER BECAUSE EARLY TWITTER ONE OF THE COOL THINGS, IT FELT LIKE THIS CONNECTION TO SOMEONE'S BRAIN.
LIKE A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION THROUGH THE INTERNET THAN WE HAD BEFORE.
OVER TIME, FUNNY ENOUGH, A LOT OF PEOPLE ON TWITTER GOT MORE INHIBITED AS THE AUDIENCE GREW.
LIKE OH, I'M NOT GOING TO PUT JUST ANYTHING OUT THERE.
DIDN'T STOP TRUMP.
APPARENTLY, STILL WHATEVER IS IS IN HIS BRAIN JUST GOES OUT IN THERE AND IT'S, AND THE THING IS, THAT IS COMPELLING TO PEOPLE.
BUT YOU TAP RIGHT INTO THE BRAIN OF SOMEBODY LIKE THE PRESIDENT, IT'S SOMETIMES NOT A PRETTY IGT.
AFWREEED.
I MEAN IT'S A MESS AND THERE'S POWER IN IT AND THE IT'S NOT, NOT --
DOES IT GIVE YOU ANY EQUAL MS THAT IT SORT OF CHANGED OUR POLITICAL -- BOTH THE WAY TRURP AND OTHERS HAVE USED IT?
YEAH, I THINK THERE'S A TON OF HARM THAT COMES FROM THAT.
FOR SURE.
AND IT'S AMPLIFIED IN THE MEDIA AMPLIFIES IT AND VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO SEE TRUMP'S TWEETS DON'T SEE THEM ON TWITTER.
THEY SEE THEM OWN CNN AND FOX AND EVERYWHERE ELSE.
AND I'M NOT BLAMING THEM MORE THAN TWITTER.
I THINK IT'S NOT GREAT THAT WE HAVE THESE MESSAGES THAT SPREAD IGNORANCE AND LIES AND HATRED AMPLIFIED LIKE FIRST OF ALL, COMING FROM THE PRESIDENT OF ALL PEOPLE THEN AMPLIFIED BY ALL MEDIA AND TWITTER AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
LOOK AT THIS.
TERRIBLE.
YOU SAY THAT CAUSES HARM.
I THINK SO.
THEN WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT?
YES.
I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE A LOT OF POWER TO DO A LOT ABOUT THAT.
BUT IF YOU COULD HAVE CHANGED TWITTER, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE ABOUT IT?
I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD HAVE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED TRUMP.
I THINK THE SYSTEM, IF YOU LOOK AT ANY, IF YOU LOOK AT TWIT EER OR ANYTHING IN RETROSPECT AND SAY LET'S CREATE A SYSTEM THAT WOULDN'T HAVE LED TO THOSE OUTCOMES, TWITTER PROBABLY B WOULDN'T BE TWITTER TODAY AND SOMETHING ELSE WOULD BE TWITTER TODAY.
I THINK LIKE THE HAD WE CREATED LIKE A SAFE CULTIVATED, CURE ATED PLACE, WOULD IT HAVE GROWN?
WOULD THERE NOT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ELSE TO TAKE ITS PLACE?
I THINK ALL THOSE THINGS WOULD BE TRUE.
BUT NOW YOU'RE CREATING A SAFE, CULTIVATED, CUREATED PLACE MEANING MEDIUM.
IN SOME WAYS, ARE YOU DOING THAT AS A REACTION OF WHAT HAPPENED TO TWIT TER?
I'M DOING THAT SO PEOPLE CAN DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD AND FIND GOOD IDEAS.
NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO R PARTICIPATE IN THE FRANTIC, HECTIC ADVERTISING DRIVEN MEDIA WORLD.
THERE IS A HUNGER FOR NUANCE AND COMPLEXITY AND THAT'S MEDIUM.
I'M CREATING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASONABLENESS AND DEPTH TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE.
THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING IN MEDIUM.