It finally happened. Despite all the obstacles and black propaganda, business magnate Elon Musk managed to buy Twitter for $44 billion. While Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, welcomed the news by saying “Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness,” there are of course others who are uncomfortable with this change.
Some say they will leave the platform, saying Twitter will no longer be a safe place. American podcast host Amy Siskind is one of them. She describes Musk's purchase of Twitter as “absolutely awful.” “I am sitting with my thoughts and watching, and haven’t decided if I am staying here. I have a huge philosophical issue knowing whatever content I provide here goes directly towards enriching one man, who I think is absolutely awful. Watching. His platform is hemorrhaging users,” she tweeted and also added that “people need to understand that this is no longer a public company. Every post you make here is free content to enrich one man, Elon Musk. He is completely in control and answers to no one. I don’t view him as a mentally stable person.”
Siskind is questioning the sanity of a person, who succeeded in sending a spacecraft into orbit after the United States, Russia and China, a man who is a genius inventor and started a revolution by managing to land rockets for reuse.
The current state of the Twitter environment, which Siskind fears will be disrupted by Musk, is evident.
Disregarding the will of some of the people, Twitter positioned itself alongside the Democrats and the established order, going so far as to suspend the account of former U.S. President Donald Trump during the presidential election period. In the coronavirus pandemic, it censored some opinions and even the theses of Nobel scientists as “not scientific.” Twitter also opened the way for trolls and triggered chaos all over the world. It spread hate speech, lies, fake news and ultimately polarization.
Did we forget that the company was put up for sale a few years ago and there were no buyers because it was not found reliable for the reasons I mentioned?
As a Turkish Twitter user, I am extremely hopeful for Musk, who already said: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
Because in my country, politically connected troll groups have been manipulating our new public space for years. They stretch politics and polarize society. This medium has turned into an arena where individuals expressing different opinions are subjected to mass lynching and people's lives are shifted with unproven allegations.
So, Musk, who promises to rid Twitter of trolls and expand real users' freedom of expression, can set things right. He can turn Twitter, which has been trashed over time, into a reputable platform. He can restore it to the function declared in its establishment.
Let's hope Elon doesn't get discouraged and carries out the libertarian Twitter revolution as he says. He should keep in mind that he has supporters all over the world and if he succeeds, he will become a true legend.
