After spending a few months using the new social network Gab (gab.ai), I think I have a better understanding of why so many in the tech and media sectors hate it, and why anyone who cares about free expression should create an account there.
Gab contains a lot of offensive opinions. It’s not uncommon to see a post that cites information that isn’t 100% accurate, or omits certain details in order to remain consistent with the OP’s views. Some of the links shared by users lead to ‘racist-feeling’ websites. There’s also no shortage of jokes that would earn you a visit to the Human Resources office if you repeated them around the wrong coworker. Oddly enough, I haven’t seen much by way of pornography on Gab. I definitely can’t say the same for Twitter.
There is an app-based version of Gab in the Google Play store but it’s so early in development that for now, I prefer the mobile version of the website. Unfortunately, there is no Gab app in Apple’s store. Apparently, Apple has recently implemented (or chooses to selectively enforce) a rule that prohibits social networking apps if it’s possible to find user-submitted content on those networks which Apple deems offensive. I assume there's some sort of grandfather clause that permits Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and others to remain in the store despite equally offensive content. That, or Apple has some sort of backroom deal with the others that prevents them from being banned.
To describe Gab as ‘censorship-free’ is obviously misleading. Any website that is truly censorship-free is probably in violation of multiple nations’ laws regarding drugs, prostitution, pedophilia, etc. Plus, I’d imagine that a truly censorship-free website would remain that way right up until the site owner got doxxed by one of his/her users.
The difference (as far as I can tell) between Gab and other social networks is that Gab doesn’t cave to pressure to censor unpopular or even inaccurate views. It gives YOU the tools to decide what YOU want to see. And that’s one of the things that made the internet so special from the jump.
If you had a proclivity for the nerdy and were around when the internet first became available to the masses, you can probably remember the magic. Unlike print media, radio or television, the internet allowed YOU to decide what was interesting. No more force-fed, advertiser-approved, boring content.
But something changed, didn’t it? The Googles of the world subtly transitioned from being a service that made a few bucks by helping you find what you were looking for, to morphing into a cyber-gatekeeper of homogenized content. As with so many other things in life, in an effort to make the internet safe, we made it boring. We made it less of a threat to the status quo.
I was lucky enough to grow up with an internet that exposed you to different ideas and information. My kid is growing up with an internet that allows you to pay for coffee without touching your wallet. There’s no good reason that both can’t coexist. Thankfully, there are still people like those at Gab who seem to care about preserving that old magic - a magic that’s just as likely to expand your mind as hurt your feelings. Like the saying goes, "no pain, no gain."
