The internet has gone crazy — Elon Musk buys Twitter
The internet and in particular Twitter has gone crazy since the announcement yesterday that the Twitter board which includes Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, has accepted Elon Musk’s offer for a buyout and to take Twitter private. Cue the internet especially Twitter to go crazy and wild, progressives are crying and fearful, right-wingers and centrists are celebrating and mocking progressives.
I’ve read articles, tweets, essays and watched countless pundits trying to predict what will happen when the buyout is finalised in approximately 6-months time. Insiders are leaking Twitter staff townhalls with reports of executives crying and Twitter staff, I kid you not, fearing for their safety from the violence of speech. I can’t help but think that this is all an over-reaction from progressives who have influenced Twitter since it’s founding and enjoy favourable conditions given Twitter is staffed by predominantly progressive individuals. What seems to be in question is free speech, it’s definition, whether it’s harmful and will it harm users once Musk takes the reigns.
Musk in his defence is using a fair and widely accepted definition of free speech, even going so far as to clarify what this will mean for Twitter. If he is true to his word, and there is no indication he will stray from it, then Twitter will become a level playing field along with being more transparent. Musk has committed he will make Twitter’s algorithm open source so everyone can see how tweets are amplified, promoted etc. All this is good, at least from an objective perspective and I can only surmise that progressives who have for so long held sway on the platform are crazed with the idea that finally it’ll be “free speech for all” instead of “free speech for me..but not for thee”
One can only judge Musk and his intentions on free speech by his actions in his highly successful businesses like — SpaceX, Tesla, Boring Co, Neuralink etc. Musk is also on record many times talking about his viewpoints on the importance of free speech in a market place ideas to a well functioning democracy. What I particularly noticed is his penchant for government being subservient to the will of the people as well. Sounds very reasonable so far?
Elon Musk on free speech and healthy democracy — YouTube
What people are missing is that there is free speech and the market place of ideas, however Twitter is also a product with users that may or may not enjoy seeing racist, bigoted, homophobic viewpoints espoused and may just jump ship to Gettr, Parler or Truth Social. I suspect my views on free speech is very similar to Musk’s but I for one won’t waste my time on a platform that espouses hateful and vile viewpoints. That is my choice as a consumer to exercise free speech to participate and/or dissent or just leave.
In summary it’s early days and a-lot can happen in the next 6 months. The hyperbole around Musk’s acquisition is on it’s face a mass over-reaction and FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) campaign I suspect will dissipate over the next few weeks as people see that it will be business as usual for the short-term anyway.
