“Freedom of speech” is the core ideal behind Twitter’s morals and motto. On Twitter, users are free to express their hidden, authentic, and potentially controversial thoughts as they please. This groundbreaking social media platform was founded in 2006 and remains popular to this day.
After months of disparagement, lawsuits, and legal drama, Elon Musk finally bought Twitter for $44 billion on October 27, 2022, taking out many prominent executives in the process. Musk proceeded to clean house by laying off many of Twitter’s employees including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, General Counsel Sean Edgett, and many more.
On October 27, 2022 at 8:49 PM, Elon Musk tweeted “the bird is freed.” Musk stated that he wanted to make Twitter a “more freewheeling place for all types of commentary” and added that he would rescind the ban of former President Donald J. Trump’s account from the platform. Trump had originally been banned from Twitter after the January 6th attack on the Capitol for his alleged incitement of the insurrection. Musk’s removal of Trump’s ban received much criticism notably from Rep. Adam Schiff, who discusses, “It just underscores the erratic leadership of Twitter now under Musk, but also the security concerns, with security people fleeing Twitter, and what that means for the protection of Americans’ private data.” Schiff was on the committee in the House of Representatives that has been investigating the January 6th riot that ultimately led to Trump’s Twitter ban.
However, since owning Twitter, Musk has been involved in other scandals as well. On October 30th, Musk purposefully spread misinformation about the attack on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, which had occurred two days prior. Musk accused Pelosi of fighting with a male worker, but this accusation was debunked by official reports.
This string of scandals following Musk may have many consequences on the future of Twitter. Lots of users have already contemplated finding a new home for free speech, in lieu of Musk’s “Twitter Blue’’ subscription, which requires $8 a month to have a verification mark and in turn gives a louder voice to some tweeters than others. This new installment generated much anger among Twitter users, as not only did the check lose its previous honor, but this new system contradicted the core of Twitter’s platform — for everyone to be able to share their opinions equally. Apps like Tumblr, Hive, and others were considered for being the replacement of Twitter, but no major change in the platform’s user base has been noticed yet. Has Musk truly changed Twitter’s future, and with it, the future of online communication?