#BuyTwitter and kicking off 45
A former CIA agent named Valerie Plame has started a crowdfunding campaign with #BuyTwitter. Her objective is to buy a controlling share of Twitter ($1b, or appx. 6%) to try and forcibly remove the 45th President of the U.S. Valerie's effort has attracted global news coverage, but after a week she's only raised $15k. See https://twitter.com/ValeriePlame/status/900444754139373569.
Now, for our group, Valerie's efforts open at least two opportunities:
1) clarify our mission and values, using this campaign as a healthy exercise on where we stand, and
2) benefit from the new public energy around #BuyTwitter.
Where do we start?
William Cerf Fri 25 Aug 2017 2:29PM
I have at least two concerns. Buying a media platform with the intent to suppress free speech, especially speech you dislike is a very slippery slope. I really don't think we should go there. The CIA is a very dangerous organization that is part of the deep, dark state which is attempting to suppress cooperation and freedom. Valarie Plame may not be an ex-agent but an agent provocateur.
I say Shame of Plame!
Matthew Cropp Fri 25 Aug 2017 2:53PM
I poked her on twitter with the co-op idea and she responded cautiously positively.
Emily Martinez Fri 25 Aug 2017 6:28PM
I’m wary.
First, I don’t like that #BuyTwitter feels like it is being hijacked, and that we are now politely trying to engage Plame to see if our ideas align. It’s clear to me that she has her own agenda, and that using this hashtag is a convenient way for her to leverage it.
I’m also not thrilled about the idea of crowdfunding $1B to fund a “benevolent” shareholder who will act on everyone’s behalf; nor do I think that buying a media platform to suppress free speech is a good idea, as William pointed out.
Even in the best of cases (working together to leverage more media attention), it can spell disaster for our cause, when the public imagination decides whatever it decides after they learn that an Ex-CIA Agent Crowdfunds a $1B Shareholder Coup to #BuyTwitter and #BanTrump <— clickbait headline + ideological black hole + ground swell of media = good luck trying to un-explode that :bomb:
My intuition is that this group needs to be very clear on what it ultimately wants, and that this position needs to be stated explicitly, or else we run the risk of losing credibility and/or giving away our power.
Adriel Hampton Fri 25 Aug 2017 6:33PM
Also, you have a real leverage point right now - "Trump Haters Try to Take Over "#BuyTwitter Co-Operative" is a good click bait headline, too.
Adriel Hampton / Principal ConsultantThe Adriel Hampton Group Ltd. ( http://adrielhampton.com ) / 213-326-4627
LinkedIn ( http://linkedin.com/in/adrielhampton ) | Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/adrieloakhampton ) | Twitter ( http://twitter.com/adrielhampton )
Danny Spitzberg Sat 2 Sep 2017 5:27PM
A few weeks later, and I see no significant impact on anything related to our efforts. Searching #BuyTwitter is now a mess, Valerie Plame Wilson's Twitter page/account comes up before @BuyThisPlatform, and many reporters now think of both campaigns, at best. But if our general goal is to democratize Twitter, not to kick off 45, we've got more time and space in which to work.
One possible proposal: drafting a short statement about our effort could be useful, with points about how its more diplomatic and democratic than Valerie's crowdfunding campaign (she may have earned Mark Hamill's endorsement, but her crowdfunding campaign has 0.00008% of its goal.)
Another proposal: forming a "user union" is another effort some folks have talked about.
Thoughts? Feelings?
James McRitchie Tue 5 Sep 2017 2:25PM
Yes, as user's union or simply a user's group could go a long way toward forming a more engaged and cooperative forum for users. Such a group could probably get seed funding from Twitter itself, in the way of meeting rooms and guest speakers, since a user's group would be a great place to vet ideas like who should be banned, how to customize Twitter to meet individual needs, etc. See my post at https://www.corpgov.net/2017/07/broad-based-ownership-at-twitter-academic-perspective/
Adriel Hampton Sat 2 Sep 2017 5:31PM
I like user unions. Sliding scale annually. Fund organizing and parties, transparently.
Adriel Hampton / Principal ConsultantThe Adriel Hampton Group Ltd. ( http://adrielhampton.com ) / 213-326-4627
LinkedIn ( http://linkedin.com/in/adrielhampton ) | Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/adrieloakhampton ) | Twitter ( http://twitter.com/adrielhampton )
Nathan Schneider Mon 4 Sep 2017 8:07PM
Yeah, user union.
Vica Tue 5 Sep 2017 11:37AM
Yes. Still think a user union is an important stepping stone towards what we would like to see happen. I also find quite exiting the idea of experimenting with different forms of unionism, or even hybrids of unions and co-ops.
Unfortunately though I am 9 months pregnant, so will not be able to contribute much in the coming months!
Adriel Hampton · Fri 25 Aug 2017 2:28PM
Plame's effort is consultants paying themselves by activating their list. If it serves your cause, use it. If not, it's a total scam.