The Evolution of Tech Idealism

The founders of social media companies like Facebook and Twitter never cared about the lofty ideals they claimed, says longtime tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher.

"I never thought they were idealistic. I thought they were there to make money," she says. Swisher, who co-hosts Pivot and also hosts On With Kara Swisher, likens tech giants to the Borg from Star Trek, constantly absorbing smaller companies to fuel their growth. But she sees potential for better user experiences and moderation tools in some platforms, such as Bluesky and Reddit. Today on Revolution.Social, she and Rabble also discuss how letting users moderate their own communities can create healthier online spaces; why cell phones should be banned in school; and the silver lining of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover.
This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm, and executive produced by Alice Chan from Flock Marketing. To learn more about Rabble’s social media bill of rights, and sign up for our newsletter, visit https://revolution.social/