Twitter in the balance: Reform or reprobate?
Elon Musk announced recently that he would forfeit his seat on the Twitter board, taking many by surprise. This decision was unexpected as he had reached the qualifications necessary and had even expressed desire for reforms to the popular yet controversial social network. Everyone thought that the legendary American business mogul would wield the power of his shares in the company to make changes expected to inspire controversy.
But no one is surprised anymore after recent breaking news that the Tesla CEO has offered to buy the entirety of Twitter stock at $54.20 a share, reports The New York Times. This unsolicited bid, potentially worth over $40 billion, now has everyone scrambling to their feet again with their opinions, praise and criticism.
Because of Musk’s commitment to what he deems “free speech,” conservatives are rallying behind his efforts—not surprising since he has been able to garner the support of practically all of them (except for those conspiracy theorists who believe that his robots will take over the world). Jason Miller, CEO of GETTR, a right-wing competing network, said that “Musk has made clear that in order to be saved, Twitter needs a wholesale tear-down to the foundation—its leadership must be removed.”
But this is exactly the reason that others are worried. According to The Hill, Max Boot, a columnist for The Washington Post tweeted that he is “frightened by the impact on society and politics if Elon Musk acquires Twitter. He seems to believe that on social media anything goes. For democracy to survive, we need more content moderation, not less.”
“Free speech” is not the only change Musk has theorized making. In addition, he wants to create an “edit tweet” button. He also plans to take the company private and allow as many private shares as the government will allow.
Tech often involves making difficult decisions of balance, and this looks like it will be no exception. Where is the line drawn between moderating a political opinion or moderating inappropriate and violent content? These lines are often blurred, and there’s no telling how it will turn out from here. It’s up to the Twitter board and its shareholders to decide if they really want to entrust the blue bird to the hands of the richest man in the world to do with it as he sees fit.
By Charles Metz