The craziest thing about the 1/6 insurrection is how much of the action was driven by social media, from Trump's tweeted invitation ("Be there, will be wild!") to the continuous livestreams by rioters in the Capitol. While the riot occurred in 'meatspace', it was perpetrated by the chronically online, such as this dimbulb who might be sent back to jail because he has a synergistic addiction to both MAGA and being online.
The House committee investigating the insurrection is demanding records from a wide array of social media companies, ranging from fever swamps such as 4Chan and 8Kun, MAGA messaging apps Gab and Parler, and mainstream social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook. This particular investigation seems to concentrate on the spread of misinformation about the 2020 election, the 'Big Lie', but I personally feel that much of their efforts should be aimed at the government agencies which ignored the clear indications that there would be some violent actions undertaken on 1/6. The social media moderators messed up (or were complicit) by not stopping communications between extremists, but the sins (whether of omission or commission) by the DoJ and FBI are more egregious, and the rot goes all the way to the top of the Trump Maladministration. Thankfully, the House committee is also looking into communications from government sources to the right-wing apparatchiks who implemented the Capitol attack.
I'm happy that the Hous committee on 1/6 is taking their responsibility seriously, but that's what happens when a committee is formed from people whose very lives were at risks due to MAGA malfeasance.
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