The attack on free speech has always been about elitism
The mainstream media cannot stand being mocked or criticized by people who are "inferior" to them.
The mainstream media has always hated alternative media. We heard plenty of warnings in the 1990's about how "dangerous" talk radio was, followed by hyperventilating over Fox News. The mainstream media was wringing their hands over the blogosphere in the early 2000's. Today, they worry about social media and how it leads to so many terrible things. Social media even helped Donald Trump get elected in 2016!
Some of this is simple turf protection. The mainstream media is worried about the competition. But it is also elitism. The MSM does not like their "authority" being questioned. They are the experts. How dare these bumpkins out in flyover country question and criticize them on social media? They have no formal training! Some of them never even went to college! Who do they think they are?
But what they hate more than anything is memes. If there is one thing an elitist hates more than anything else, it is being mocked by an "inferior." This is why CNN tracked down a Reddit user who posed a clip from Donald Trump's appearance at WrestleMania in 2007. They blackmailed the Redditor with threats of doxxing. The man's "crime" was that he replaced Vince McMahon's head with the CNN logo as Trump hit a clothesline and some weak-looking worked punches. This was an in incitement to violence and could get people killed!
Uh, no. It was a silly meme. Chill out.
Folks, this is why people cannot take the mainstream media seriously when they fret about social media. Are there problems with social media? Yes. Is there a lot of rancid sewer filth from both sides on social media? Yes. Should thought leaders, elected officials and rank-and-file activists - especially on the Right - seek to elevate discourse rather than further degrade our culture? Obviously, yes. But let's not pretend that the mainstream media is legitimately concerned about the "harmful" effects of social media. They want you silenced because you are inferior to them. That is what this is all about.