Friends, it's happening!!! Elon Musk, beloved super-nerd, is taking over Twitter, one of the most popular and influential social media platforms. He's promised us a great deal more freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean Twitter will turn into a "free-for-all hellscape", according to Musk himself. In other words, Twitter will have to strike a balance between protecting our free speech rights and labeling or removing content that is truly harmful or illegal. That won't be easy to do. Already, leftists are incensed because conservatives are allowed -- most of the time -- to speak their minds. Now, previously verboten right-wing voices like that of Donald Trump might return to the platform, which is guaranteed to cause apoplexy in progressive circles. Could many prominent leftists pull up stakes because of their concerns that Twitter will become a playground for "fascists"? Could advertisers abandon the platform because they don't want to be associated with "mean tweets"? Could conservatives, like Trump, refuse to use the platform, because they don't trust Musk, or his minions' approach to content moderation? Any of these things could happen, or none of them could. There's a chance that Musk's innovative tweaks will strengthen Twitter's appeal and it may rise inexorably, just as Facebook starts to stumble. We shall see. Personally, I remain skeptical. I stopped using Twitter when it banned President Trump, and I have no immediate plans to rejoin the Twitter circus. How about you?
Interesting topic Dr. Waddy. And apoplexy! What a great term for what is a likely reaction from the progressive left. LOL! My mom used to use the adjective form of that word to describe unbecoming behavior as a kid. I digress.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who enjoys Twitter's platform but can't stand the blatant bias, I very much look forward to the result of Musk's efforts.
Hey... any balance brought to that leftist landscape is welcome.
Regarding Musk’s unique entrance into corporate headquarters, one wonders if there was more than just the "sink-in" reference to be had! Some that come to mind:
-I'm here to save a sinking ship.
-Got that sinking feeling? (employees signing demands)
-Now the twits have something to sink their teeth into.
-Like rats leaving a sinking ship (top brass).
Who knows, that image may come in handy down the line in more ways than one.
If he can steer that ship back toward the center, Facebook, beware. Twitter is about to "sink the hook".
Ray to Nick
ReplyDeleteNothing against your choice to use Twitter. However, I NEVER signed up for any social media of any kind. In fact I think the original intent of big tech was to introduce and falsely advertise that sort of media as places to stay in touch and meet new friends, when in fact it was intended all along to spy on people. Sound extreme? No doubt it does, but it sure as hell turned out that controlling and manipulating people is exactly what it was used for.
So my advice to anyone is to stay aways from Twitter, Facebook and any one of a number of other social media. I NEVER missed social media, because I never signed up for it. As it is, email is probably monitored, so even that is not safe to use in our surveillance society, and I would bet that cell phones are likewise "checked" by the powers that be.
Richie, you said it -- no one expects Twitter to become conservative, in any real sense, but is it so much to ask that it would stop persecuting conservatives and allow all (vaguely respectable) voices to be heard? I think most conservatives would settle for a social media environment in which we simply dialed back the censorship to pre-COVID levels. Remember those halcyon days?
ReplyDeleteRay, you're right, of course, that Facebook, Twitter, et al. are "mining" us for data, and curating our discourse to boot, and none of that is very comforting. I also respect your decision not to use social media, but I honestly don't think staying off the information superhighway is a realistic option for conservatives or conservatism as a whole. How on earth would we reach a wide audience? By the same token, higher ed is a cesspool, but would I advise no conservative ever to attend college? Nah. Even a bad system can be good for something...
Ray to Nick
DeleteI think of Facebook and Twitter as "separate entities" from the general information superhighway. Lots of sites out there that won't shut you down like Twitter and Facebook do.
In celebration of your coming out (on Twitter), I'm going to retire my alias and be real on same. Glad to have you on what might be the last generally accepted world wide social platform.
DeleteDr. Waddyfrom Jack: I also stay away from Twitter, Facebook etc, mainly because technology frustrates me and I also share the concerns Ray has. But I see this change at Twitter as part of an increasingly evident groundswell of r evulsion for American leftist presumption and its by now proven dedication to forceful fundamental transformation of a real America which does not need fundamental transformation.On election day the left may take a staggering haymaker right on the chin which could make of this existentially vital resurgence of COMMON SENSE a return to American soundness.
ReplyDeleteRay, up to now Facebook and Twitter have generally moved in lockstep in terms of censorship (look at how closely coordinated their banning of Trump was!), but increasingly we should now see daylight between them. It's conceivable that Facebook will increasingly become "left-friendly", while Twitter becomes a refuge for conservatives. I mean, why not? Everything else in our society is polarized. On the other hand, one would hope that we'll see greater pluralism over time. I'm still rooting for Truth Social to become viable.
ReplyDeleteJack, I think you're right to see what's happening at Twitter (and what's happening inside Elon Musk's head) as part of a general realignment. Whether we like Twitter or not, it matters a great deal that conservatives should/will have access to it.
Ray, although the persecution of conservatives was (until recently) what all major social media sites had in common, the degree of intolerance they practiced was not all the same, and by no means is the calibration over time consistent. We conservatives talk like we either have virtual liberty or we don't. The truth is a lot grayer than that. Anyway, I think Google has to be added into the mix of social media titans. Google owns YouTube, for instance, which is a Big Tech powerhouse, and Google is also one of the worst offenders in terms of anti-conservative bias.
ReplyDeleteRichie, I currently have one follower on Twitter. Care to double my reach??? Ha ha. I'm @WaddyIsRight Join the party! I'll happily reciprocate.