I
t took an armed insurrection on the US
Capitol for Facebook and Twitter to try to
quiet the incendiary words of President
Donald Trump on their sites.For years, execs at both companies have been
asked what it would take—perhaps a call to
nuclear war?—to ban Trump from their
platforms. The answer came two weeks before his
time as president ran out. But as the literal smoke
cleared, social media had yet to take steps to stop
those who planned the action and potential future
ones.Those who stormed the Capitol spent weeks on
Facebook, Twitter, and other social media
platforms calling their comrades to arms. Plans
for January 6, 2021, were known about so far in
advance that it was already emblazoned on the
merch rioters wore as they tore apart Senate
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instead of being samizdat, they’re shared on
social media. Richard Barnett, who broke into
+RXVH6SHDNHU1DQF\3HORVL¶VṘFHDQGVWROHStorming the Capitol Started
on Social Media, and It Should
Have Ended There
PCMag Senior
Features Editor
Chandra Steele got
her tech journalism
start at CMP/United
Business Media. She
also writes fiction
and has been
published in
McSweeney’s
Internet Tendency.COMMENTARY