Is Elon Really Trying to Free Twitter?
It looks like Elon ended up buying Twitter for $44 billion, after rejecting becoming part of the board.
Now, the question that remains is: will Twitter finally be the pinnacle of free speech?
We’ve all witnessed the ban of Donald Trump and the uprising of misinformation that plagues the online space.
The Far-right saw Trump as a representative with power that they were lacking. His tweets prompted a lot of broad interpretation, which in turn made him an enabler of hate speech — regardless you support Trump or not, that is factual.
This led to him being banned from the platform — in Portugal, we have a similar case in André Ventura.
Recalling Elon’s intentions towards Twitter, this would not happen, since he truly believes Twitter should be the main channel for free speech.
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.”
Elon wrote in a letter sent to Twitter Chairman Bret Taylor.
In Elon’s understanding, private companies have a greater capacity for decision and change, while public companies, having greater reporting obligations, are slower and see these processes more contested.
So, by buying all of Twitter, Elon will make it a private company and induce the changes he sees fit to make it the true free social network he envisions.
Sure it’s all fun and games in theory, but what will really happen?
Let’s never forget that Tesla canceled a client’s order due to him being “rude” towards the company.
So, what guarantees Twitter users will be free from certain backlash?
Well, no one.
What I mean by this is that there will always be consequences for what people say once their words belong to the public domain.
One can’t expect to speak one’s mind freely without the occurrence of any kind of reaction. This does not mean people will be banned under Elon’s.
However, verbal aggression can make the prosecutor targeted by the defendant either through a mere 140-character response or serious legal action.
Twitter is bound to be the People’s Court where everyone is victim, defendant, lawyer, judge, and executioner, all at once.
