From the Ban to the New Platform
What I've Learned About Free Speech in the Digital Age
Let’s just start with this: most of what we were taught about “free speech” online was a lie.
It sounds noble, right? “You can say what you want.” “Speak your truth.” “The internet is the great equalizer.”
Bull. Shit.
You can speak—sure. But only if it’s algorithm-approved, advertiser-friendly, and doesn’t ruffle the wrong feathers. And good lard help you if your voice doesn't fit neatly into some sanitized corporate checkbox of "safe expression." If you step outside the lines—even once—it’s poof. Gone. No warning. No appeal. Just digital exile.
That’s what happened to me. Twice. And it shoved me headfirst into a reckoning: not just about social media, but about who actually owns our voices online—and what the hell we’re supposed to do about it.
A Rude Awakening in the Age of Control
When I got banned (again), I wasn’t shocked—I was exhausted.
Not just from the loss, but from pretending that these platforms ever had our backs in the first place.
They sell you this dream of connection, community, free expression. But the reality is: if your truth disrupts the performance, you’re disposable.
They don’t protect speech.
They protect liability.
And you? You’re just another data point.
So I left. Or, more accurately—I was pushed. Out the digital door, no explanation, no seatbelt, and no parachute. But instead of staying quiet or running back under a burner account like a kicked dog, I did something different.
I started a blog on Shopify. Not the shiny, curated social media feed where everything gets scrubbed clean and prettied up for the masses, but a real platform. Something I owned. Something that didn’t have arbitrary rules about what I could say, post, or sell. It was my space to create freely.
What “Free Speech” Actually Looks Like (Spoiler: It’s Messy)
No one’s going to sugarcoat it for you: true free speech is chaotic as hell.
It’s raw. It’s uncomfortable. It means hearing things you don’t like, from people you disagree with. It means the feed isn’t always polished and curated and dopamine-optimized.
It means you have to use your brain.
But it also means you’re free.
Free to show up honestly. Free to experiment. Free to screw up. Free to say something real without a team of bots, mods, and vague “violations” descending like vultures.
It made me sharper. Not just louder, but clearer. Not just angry, but intentional. I stopped writing to “perform.” I stopped dodging imaginary tripwires. I started writing for me—and for the people who actually give a damn.
Rebuilding with Purpose (and Zero Apologies)
This Shopify blog gave me something social media platforms never could: room to evolve. No leash. No muzzle. Just space—space to breathe, to think, and to write without being on edge.
And even though this is only my second post, I can already feel the shift.
I’m not posting for approval. I’m not chasing reach. I’m building something that doesn’t ask for permission. This blog is the foundation, not the final product—but it’s mine. Raw, messy, honest. And that’s the whole damn point.
You want curated vibes and middle-of-the-road content? Cool, there’s a billion blogs for that.
But if you want real, unpolished, uncomfortable truth with a side of grit and guts? That’s what I’m building here.
Lessons I Learned (The Hard Way):
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Platforms are not public squares.
They are businesses. You are not the customer. You’re the product. -
If you don’t own it, you don’t control it.
Your account, your content, your followers? They can be erased. Overnight. Without explanation. Build your own site. Start your own list. Own your shit. -
Free speech isn’t safe—and that’s the point.
It’s meant to challenge, disrupt, provoke. If it’s always comfortable, you’re doing it wrong. -
You can’t build a bold brand while walking on eggshells.
Fear-based branding is forgettable. Safe doesn’t stand out. If you're trying not to offend, you’ve already muted yourself. -
When the system kicks you out, build your own damn system.
That’s what I did. And it’s messy. And it’s beautiful. And it’s mine.
If You’re Sick of Asking Permission to Exist Online…
Then you get it.
This site—this brand—is the middle finger to algorithm-approved existence.
It’s what happens when you stop begging to be heard and start owning your voice.
It’s what happens when you go from banned to platformed—by yourself.
I don’t owe anyone my silence.
I don’t owe anyone a watered-down version of myself.
And neither do you.