Face The Nation guest on social media platforms reinstating Trump: “This is all about what drives shareholder value.”
NYU Professor Scott Galloway: “President Trump has called for protests and the last time he called for protests we had an insurrection. So, if they've ever wanted an excuse not to put him back on the platforms but they have it.”
Published
Citation
From the March 19, 2023, edition of CBS' Face The Nation
MARGARET BRENNAN (HOST): Quickly, Scott, you know, we are looking at the potential indictment of the 45th president of the United States, who is back on social media platforms. Have there been any measures put in place that would limit the ability to use this as an organizing tool or in a dangerous way as he calls for protests?
SCOTT GALLOWAY (NYU PROFESSOR): Not that I know of. I find it kind of borderline comical, this, this kind of hollow debate around First Amendment or speech or pretending -- these organizations pretending it was a really difficult decision. It's pretty straightforward. I mean, an organization or an individual adds shareholder value to these companies one of two ways, they create a lot of engagement through enragement or awe or they spend a lot of money on the platform. And about the time that President Trump was about to become much less enraging or have much less content, about a few days before Biden's inauguration, Meta found their backbone and kicked him off. And about the time he's about to spend another billion or billion and a half on media, they've all the sudden decided he should come back on the platform. But my understanding is the president, President Trump has called for protests and the last time he called for protests we had an insurrection. So, if they've ever wanted an excuse not to put him back on the platforms but they have it. But at the end of the day, this is all about what drives shareholder value, not any sense of what connects us or any fidelity to the commonwealth.