The Bird is Freed

The Social Impact of Elon Musk’s Purchase of Twitter

W. H. R. Johnston

On October 27th, Elon Musk completed his controversial purchase of the social media giant, Twitter, with the acquisition totaling approximately US$44 billion, which, even for the world’s richest man, is no small sum. Musk has made clear his distaste for the current ‘cancel culture’ and seemingly envisions his new platform as a countercyclical measure against the increasingly politically progressive social media platforms. 

While in the United States, their Constitution’s First Amendment restricts the government from censoring speech, however, private companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and many more, are not bound to the same rules. Although the encroachment of free speech has been a necessary tool in combating the spread of hate speech, misinformation and harassment on these platforms, Elon Musk is one among many critics who feel as though it has been exacerbated beyond the point of necessity and serves as a function to assimilate views rather than protect users.

Therefore, many of the claims that Musk has made surrounding his takeover of Twitter have been focused on promoting free speech, with one of his first ‘tweets’ on the platform since his purchase being, “Comedy is now legal on Twitter”. This statement, however, was somehow far less controversial than other claims made by the billionaire entrepreneur, including his promise to reduce utilisation of permanent bans, and most notably un-ban former president Donald Trump following his removal from Twitter after the riot at the Capitol in January 2021 and the possibility that his ‘tweets’ might incite further violence. 

Elon Musk’s impact on Twitter since the acquisition has been immediate, firing several key executives including the CEO and CFO, making his intent of a policy overhaul clear from the very start. However, Musk has stated that a content moderation council with “widely diverse viewpoints” will be formed to decide the extent of regulation and censorship of content in this new era of Twitter, stating that “no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes,” indicating Musk’s understanding that his reforms should at least be subject to some debate before their implementation.

Musk has stated his concern for the increasingly radicalised political views that are spread across social media, and claims that the only way to prevent the echo chamber effect of affirming dangerous views is to provide a platform in which people can express their ideas and have to interact with others who may disagree, rather than being able to censor and cancel them. 

While in theory, that seems like a nice solution to the increasing political division, it is not that simple. Reducing censorship and moderation on these platforms would obviously increase the spread of hate speech and misinformation, with that prime example of the fatal Capitol riots evidencing its toll on the fabric of society. So while Musk may disagree with the perceived balance achieved by social media in terms of their encroachment of free speech, his response could just as well take it too far the other way causing equal, or possibly further, damage.

With Musk’s push against the current of mainstream social media politics, many possible advertisers are beginning to look tentatively at the prospect of future affiliation with Twitter, and while money may be no object for the world’s richest man, it is doubtful that he would sacrifice such a large revenue stream for his new company, and might therefore have to adjust the implementation of his views to sustain the company’s main source of income. 

Therefore the progression of censorship and cancel culture on social media lies in the hands of Elon Musk. On one hand, he could draw back on his promises and continue Twitter on its current path, mostly in line with other mainstream social media, or attempt to develop a platform which eliminates excessive restrictions inspiring a push for the return of greater freedom of speech in social media and a reigning in of political divide, but risk it devolving into a platform of harassment and hate if enough people exploit the opportunity. With such drastic changes to the executive team, it would seem as though Musk is willing to take the risk, but reading the minds of eccentric billionaires is often fairly difficult, so for now, only time will tell.