Big Tech Is Dying, And They’re Taking Free Speech with Them
The announcement by the FTC eaerlier this year that it’s opening a formal inquiry into technology platform censorship may be another bureaucratic stunt. But regardless of what’s actually achieved, the move is a public admission that our tech overlords have spent years transforming digital platforms into gated echo chambers.
What we witnesses now is the unraveling of the corporate narrative that tech platforms exist to democratize communication. The truth is more sinister: They exist to control what you are allowed to say, see, and share. And punish you if you stray.
Opaque moderation is arbitrary power. According to the FTC’s Request For Information, many users who have been demonetized, shadow banned, or outright expelled from platforms received no explanation and no appeal.
“Community standards” are fig leaves for monopolistic gatekeeping. These platforms decide which discourse is permitted and who gets to speak. That makes them cultural arbiters by default.
Social media promised free speech. Instead we got a digital public square curated by megacorps where only approved speech survives.
The FTC probe is a concession by Big Tech. They know their house of cards is wobbling.
What will their collapse look like?
The regulatory spotlight is only one side of the coin. The other face is a creeping realization among users:
“Engagement always means obedience.”
“Visibility depends on compliance, not merit.”
“My every post is owned by whoever controls the robot.”
When users began to speak out about demonetization, shadow-banning, or biased algorithm suppression, they discovered that terms of service are not legal contracts, but weapons.
That the FTC is asking for public comment tells you that the empire senses its foundation cracking.
For decades, legacy media and publishing have tried to dictate taste, morality, and message, only to be slowly disrupted by indie creators.
What the Big Tech collapse means:
An end to the monopoly over distribution, exposure, and reach.
a retreat of institutional censorship from covert algorithm control
the renewed chance for genuine, unfiltered creativity.
In short: This is the moment to rebuild culture outside the algo’s chokehold.
What to do if you care about truth?
Divest from platform-dependent audiences. Don’t build your identity, influence, or readership on a system whose rules can change at the whim of algorithms or bureaucrats.
Support newpub, indie cinema, homebrewed games, and private forums where shared interests drive the discourse.
Document censorship. Save screenshots. Use the FTC comment process, but treat it as a first draft of your own archive.
Push for transparency. Censorship works best behind closed doors. Demand clarity, responsibility, and accountability.
Big Tech’s power didn’t come from innovating better products and services. Instead, they built their empire by making you the product.
A system is what it does. The crackdown on internet speech is a feature, not a bug.
If the net is to survive, it must be unshackled from corporate social engineers.
No more black boxes.
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Brian Niemeier is a best-selling novelist, editor, and Dragon Award winner with over a decade in newpub. For direct, in-person writing and editing insights, join his Patreon.