“Move Carefully and Discuss Things”: Taking back our Public Square

Over time, our gossiping gave way to storytelling, which specialised into debate, became codified in politics, and institutionalised into media.

The rich tangle of conversation, news gathering, announcement broadcasting, protest, and information exchange flourished in town squares, where citizens came together in a central and open public space. As towns grew and technology progressed, this public square became an anchor of community and democracy, facilitating a shared reality and common experience between its inhabitants. Agoras and forums became plazas and piazzas, inky newspapers became television broadcasts and podcasts, and our collective conversations became ever more complex as it adapted to newer, faster and more sophisticated technology.

Today our public square has fragmented, dominated by powerful online platforms that have placed themselves as the gatekeepers of our public square. Platforms like Facebook are used widely as it facilitates people’s desire to connect, share information and engage in a public forum. Twitter became a mainstay for news junkies, journalists and public figures. More recently, platforms like TikTok are becoming more popular as younger people engage with it en masse, and the adults who want to reach them try it out as well.

Gossiping gave way to storytelling, which specialised into debate, became codified in politics, and institutionalised into media

But of all the online platforms, Facebook is the one of most concern. As Facebook encouraged news media and publishers to grow their presence on the platform, the idea of Facebook as a public square became more and more entrenched. The network effect, ensuring the network benefits of Facebook proliferated as more people joined the platform, made it easier to stay in Facebook given most of your network is there, and that much