A just-released documentary follows prominent conservatives who have been banned from social media. “You Can’t Watch This” tells the stories of Alex Jones, Laura Loomer, Tommy Robinson, Gavin McInnes and others who have been permanently banned from social media platforms. In their own words, subjects describe what it’s like to be thrown off social media, which currently dominates American culture—including discussions of politics.
The film begins with Alex Jones going over his career leading up to InfoWars and his refusal to conform to narratives that maintain political correctness. Jones was the first conservative to be completely banned from social media platforms following controversial accusations that he denied the Sandy Hook massacre actually happened. InfoWars employees are also featured in the film describing the effects of having all their work completely scrubbed from the world wide web.
Once Alex Jones was banned, it seemed to have a domino effect among prominent conservative journalists and commentators. The documentary depicts how being banned from social media impacts individuals whose platforms largely contribute to their earnings. In addition to social media platforms, many have also been banned from PayPal. These actions have caused significant income loss for people like Tommy Robinson, who largely depends on donations from followers.
Social media censorship has recently been more widely debated following the latest rounds of Facebook and Instagram bans which included Milo Yiannopoulos, Laura Loomer, Louis Farrakhan, Paul Joseph Watson, and Paul Nehlen. For some, Instagram and Facebook were the only access to followers, as many personalities had already been permanently banned from Twitter or restricted from YouTube.
President Donald Trump recently addressed the bans via Twitter. The White House recently launched an online tool where users can submit their complaints regarding social media censorship. Social media censorship has become the talk among prominent conservative voices, as many speculate who will be next. “You Can’t Watch This” is available exclusively on Vimeo and dives deep behind the scenes of the censorship carnage.
