We need a nonprofit, public-spirited replacement
The trouble is that there are so many public spirits.
Obviously I want a replacement led by a group whose philosophy and values are similar to mine. But realistically, my values are shared with about 5% of the population.
And here’s where the unfairness comes in. A for-profit company is judged on the fact that it wants to make money first. I don’t expect it to cleave to my values, because the sole value is making money. it gets a pass when it doesn’t adhere to my values.
But a not-for-profit group is not so constrained. If it doesn’t adhere to my values, that’s not reality, that’s an ethical choice, and I will punish such a group vastly more severely.
Which is why I believe that only a commercial entity can achieve the universality that a Facebook has achieved.
(Disclaimer: I’ve never had a Facebook account because I couldn’t handle the feeling that it would obligate me to live a more interesting life.)
