everyone's least-favourite billionaire (except for all the other ones) is now paired with everyone's least-favourite social media platform (except for all the other ones).

 

what will be the consequences of this? there's been plenty of memes but as a long-term outlook, given that Twitter has been very important in the political sphere, must we now endure the return of distasteful trolls to Twitter in the name of free speech?

 

Because that's his main mission statement.

He's spent a lot of money to avoid being made fun of, all it suggests to me is a man with a very fragile ego.

 

He'll blatantly reinstate Trump's account ASAP.

I hate to always post depressing posts about Politics (I'm actually really happy other than this in real life!) but this is awful news. The ultra right wing trolls (of which there are millions still on there currently, it's just the more famous ones can't explicitly express their hatred in the way they will probably be able to do now) are rejoicing saying they are "owning the libs". Just another case of something lurching more to the right and it means money conquers everything. Obvious victims will be LGBT people especially trans and people who fight for social justice. Whether this leads to more threats and violence in real life is another thing.

 

Twitter is realistically too big to have a progressive alternative (like Parler and Trump's attempt was for the right have had limited success) but maybe that would be the way forwards. Although that of course is people in their bubbles even more.

 

 

There needs to be a European social network. One with our values and a core understanding that free speech will always have limits. Twitter has long been the exception to the puritanical nature of American social media, after tumblr decided that Nazis were a better business model than allowing adult content, and my concern is that that will now rapidly change and where does that leave us. I am sick of puritan conservative yanks imposing their values on us

There needs to be a European social network. One with our values and a core understanding that free speech will always have limits. Twitter has long been the exception to the puritanical nature of American social media, after tumblr decided that Nazis were a better business model than allowing adult content, and my concern is that that will now rapidly change and where does that leave us. I am sick of puritan conservative yanks imposing their values on us

 

True, it's always rankling that American values are at the core of so much of online infrastructure that is used, ostensibly, for a public good when they're always millimetres away from voting modern fascists into power who have a specific gripe with "large corporations" but not in the progressive sense that they should. Musk represents that in a lot of ways.

 

I don't know that I'd put him on the road to banning LGBT discussion because that would immediately tank its value, but more that harassment will become more common with less avenues to report hate and get it stamped out. Potentially very bad for what is probably the most important social network.

 

ironic that his acceptance post talks about Twitter as 'a public town square' as he buys its ownership.

He'll blatantly reinstate Trump's account ASAP.

 

Trump is tied with "Truth Social" and likely has a contract with them to stay there exclusively.

 

As for Elon owning Twitter... meh, it's the same problem, different owner - namely a group of individuals having immense power by owning the largest social media platforms and getting to dictate them via "it's a private platform, nobody's obliged to use it" mantra. At least people are now taking notice why it might be problem.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with Twitter is its echo chamber problem. People seem to effectively stay in their echo chambers all the time on Twitter, and this is why the discussion gets so heated and imbalanced sometimes. I don't think Elon Musk owning it is going to change anything there.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with Twitter is its echo chamber problem. People seem to effectively stay in their echo chambers all the time on Twitter, and this is why the discussion gets so heated and imbalanced sometimes. I don't think Elon Musk owning it is going to change anything there.

That's as much to do with Twitter's algorithms as anything else. The trouble is that this means that a lot of ridiculous statements get left unchallenged.

I can't see a lot changing? Twitter is still extremely unmoderated and a cesspit of looking at the worst of humanity without Musk, but they did at least do a few good things like suspending misinformation (Trump) and hate speech (Katie Hopkins). The only thing I can see more of is a whole lot more misinformation and conspiracy theories going around, and you wonder why I'm not on it x

@1519980773780115457

 

Far from being a 'free speech champion' he is, like his fellow aging men like Toby Young, another gammon that just wants 'free speech for people I agree with'.

 

I'm not on Twitter, nor any social media platform, but I do follow and read some posts of those I am interested in following (using Nitter, as Twitter now no longer allow you to view posts without joining) - when you view the complete cesspit of unfettered opinions that amplify and channel the very worst characteristics of humanity there are some valid arguments in having some moderation and an ability to protect people from harm.. to say so does not imply that you are anti-Free Speech, and I do fear that the hate and harm unleashed from those emboldened by Musk's rhetoric may be hugely damaging to society.

^Furthermore, he took that image, scrubbed the artist's name from it and posted it without credit since taking things and claiming them as his own is his whole brand. Well that and liking terrible transphobic joke(s?), so I suppose we get to look forward to a much more lenient policy on that.

He's not buying it after all. SAD.

 

@1545523114058063872

 

Guess he's happier posting for the worst kinds of people, rebuying shares that may or may not have fallen in value due to his antics, and chasing up litigation against him for propositioning an employee and bribing her to keep silent.

Absolutely stoked this radioactive waste dump of a human is not going to control the one non-diabolically shitty social media platform (it’s still like rather shitty. But not as bad as the Zuckerberg ones and we don’t even acknowledge tumblr now)

It is to trans friends who I know who won't use it because of the sheer scale of abuse but yes it does elevate certain left wing voices which wouldn't be heard in mainstream media.

I dont think anyone will want to buy twitter now in the short to medium term because of the debate about the amount of spam accounts.

 

I wonder were a lot of the spam accounts created deliberately recently by anti-Musk people to stop Elon Musk buying twitter.

Edited July 12, 20222 yr by The Sake

He's not buying it after all. SAD.

Welp.

 

@1585802723382927360

what a loser.

 

I expect Trump and various other people who got banned reinstated soon enough, I don't know what the long-term outlook of this is.

Sigh

 

 

This is most disappointing. He is an utterly loathsome and rancid human. Twitter has never been a particularly great social media platform but it is the only mainstream one left that isn’t ruled by puritans.

 

Just as someone sits him down with Tumblrs usage stats and giant smacking hit to ad revenue as a result of the majority of their userbase walking away, we might be ok

Ultra wealthy bigot gets more power in this world yet again. Heard a lot of facists are already posting horrific stuff in glee testing the new regime.

A dark day indeed, this guy is a dangerous wackjob.

 

Makes me glad I'm not on Twitter anymore.