To gain a proper understanding of the impact Elon Musk had on Twitter, we must not overstate the importance of Twitter prior to his involvement, just as we shouldn’t exaggerate the state of our political landscape before Trump. Even before Musk came into the picture, Twitter had already become a toxic influence on American culture, to the extent that I expressed doubts about its potential for recovery in an article last year. The platform was constantly embroiled in controversies, with a relentless stream of anger and crisis taking a toll on its users.
Therefore, it is true that Twitter was in need of assistance when Musk acquired it. However, instead of improving the situation, he exacerbated it, making things much worse.
Despite its numerous flaws, Twitter was still the premier social media app for staying updated on breaking news, especially if you knew which accounts to follow. It also provided unparalleled access to the thoughts of journalists, politicians, and scholars in real-time, although sometimes to our detriment. While it wasn’t the ultimate American town square — as there are still many platforms for conversation — it stood as one of our prominent meeting places. Twitter held significance.
Then Musk stepped in and stirred things up. He reinstated several banned accounts while revoking the blue verification badges from thousands of journalists, politicians, and others, undermining their credibility. Instead, he introduced a premium service called Twitter Blue, allowing anyone to buy a blue checkmark, and granting enhanced visibility to selected subscribers’ posts. Musk justified this move as the end of a “lords & peasants system,” claiming to empower the people.
However, he unintentionally established a system resembling the distinction between lords and peasants, where the lords were Twitter Blue subscribers (often Musk’s fans and right-wing trolls), and the peasants were the journalists and politicians who had previously contributed to the site’s value. Without their presence, Twitter is no more than a platform similar to Gab or Parler, smaller competitors that predominantly cater to bigots and bullies.
In a move that made drawing comparisons to these right-wing sites nearly inevitable, Musk openly engaged with and elevated some of the most unpleasant and absurd accounts on Twitter, notably a right-wing troll who goes by the name “Catturd.” The cumulative effect of this was the creation of an online space that became unbearable for the very individuals who had been responsible for driving most of the site’s traffic and attention.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
