they've been using the "we're a platform" defense for years. It essentially absolves them of any accountability for what goes up there (and what outcomes they yield). the problem is that we have people that actually believe the shit they see on these platforms- they think some of this stuff is news. these platforms are also allow people to act anonymously and there is no way to verify or check anything (assuming people would want to). very different than the town square in that sense.

if we think about them not as platform companies, but as media companies, the standards change a bit. all a question of what you think companies like FB, Youtube and twitter really are. That said, these are editorial issues and can (and will) be managed through policy-making- by the companies and by governments. the breakup argument starts in a very different place.