Twitter, which launched in 2006, is set for a new phase with Elon Musk taking over. Co-founded by Jack Dorsey, who ran Twitter from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2015 to 2021, some of Musk’s ideas resonate with those of the founder, including the need to having an open algorithm. Here are a few ways the social media platform may change under Musk at a time when people like New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet has issued a memo to staff informing them that they are not required to have a Twitter presence and urging them to spend less time on the platform that has around 200 million daily active users worldwide and around 37 million in the US.
Relaxation of rules
Being a “free speech absolutist”, Elon Musk thinks there is excessive moderation on online platforms and that “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”. In a recent interview at a TED conference, he touched upon the issue of rules and regulations, arguing that social networks shouldn’t remove comments that are in the grey area, that is, could be offensive but legal. “If it’s a gray area, let the tweet exist,” he said. But to what extent he will allow this remains to be seen as loosening rules may encourage harassers and trolls.
The social media industry is coming under more regulation, particularly in Europe. Last week the EU announced the Digital Services Act, under which companies such as Twitter, Facebook and Google will have to do much more to tackle illegal content or face multibillion-Euro fines. In the US, regulatory changes are being considered. Given the situation, Musk and his team will have to work very hard while allowing free speech.
The ever-elusive edit button
One of the drawbacks, many feel, is the absence of a way to edit tweets, something that’s easily done on Facebook and Instagram. Musk supports the idea of editing posts but we don’t know how it’s going to be implemented because such a tool can be weaponised by bad actors to manipulate the context of a speech. But it’s possible to arrive at the edit button while preserving the original content.
Twitter’s algorithm
Musk wants to make Twitter’s algorithm more transparent, allowing people see whether their tweets were promoted or demoted. The algorithm determines the priority in which tweets get presented to users. If someone’s tweets are “emphasised or de-emphasised, that action should remain apparent”, he said at a recent TED conference. But it will be a difficult task as algorithms at Twitter and other social networks process billions of pieces of content to determine a ranking.
Defeat bot armies
Getting rid of the worst parts of Twitter seems to be his big job. Twitter is known for bots or fake accounts that are programmed to respond to tweets on certain topics. The man said there needs to be a crackdown on bots and he would like to “authenticate all real humans”. “Frankly a top priority… I would have is eliminating the spam and scam bots and the bot armies that are on Twitter. I think these influence…. They make the product much worse. If I had a dogecoin for every crypto scam I saw, I would have a hundred billion dogecoin,” Musk has said.
Scrap advertisements
One of the upsides of the purchase will be a reduced dependence on advertisements. To unlock the company’s “extraordinary potential”, he needs to go beyond its advertising business, which brought in $4.5 billion in 2021. Now that the company is going private, Twitter no longer has to pursue advertisement as much as before to keep shareholders happy. Most of the platform’s revenue comes from advertising, which is especially risky as far as political ads go. The focus will be on Twitter Blue, which was introduced last year. It’s a premium service that cost $2.99 a month for additional features, like an undo button that allows for tweets to be recalled before they are sent. Musk believes that Twitter Blue should be cheaper.
The Donald Trump question
Former US President Donald Trump was booted off the platform for rhetoric that encouraged the siege on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Since Musk is all about free speech, it remains to be seen whether he allows Trump to return. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump said he was pleased with Musk’s acquisition, but he said he has no plans to try to return to the Twitter. He wants to focus on his alternative social network known as Truth Social. A Twitter employee asked present Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal whether Trump would be reinstated. Agrawal said it’s a question for Musk.
User base of Twitter
The platform is not being used as much as before by people who matter. Musk expressed his concern about the relevance of the platform before he purchased it. The top 10 list of most-followed accounts include former US President Barack Obama and pop stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. Musk had tweeted: “Most of these ‘top’ accounts tweet rarely and post very little content. Is Twitter dying?” So, we can expect to see ways to encourage people to tweet often.
Three questions
What happens to Parag Agrawal?
Parag Agrawal, an alumnus of an Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, replaced Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on November 29, 2021. He was a long-serving engineer at the company, and was previously chief technology officer of the company. If Musk decides to terminate the service of Agrawal, the 37-year-old will reportedly receive a $42 million payout. According to research firm Equilar, Agrawal will get the amount if he were terminated within 12 months of a change in control at the social media company. The world’s richest man said in a securities filing on April 14 that he did not have confidence in Twitter’s management.
Where is Jack Dorsey?
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is constantly tweeting the music he is listening to. Hours after the deal was struck, Dorsey made a series of tweets, starting with a song by Radiohead — Everything In Its Right Place: “I love Twitter. Twitter is the closest thing we have to a global consciousness. The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step. In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness. Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is ‘maximally trusted and broadly inclusive’ is the right one. I’m so happy Twitter will continue to serve the public conversation. Around the world, and into the stars!”
Is Jeff Bezos trolling?
Just before Twitter announced the acceptance of Elon Musk’s $44b buyout bid, the Tesla chief tweeted: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.” It’s getting a mild test in the hands of fellow tech billionaire, Jeff Bezos, who quoted a New York Times reporter’s tweet pointing out that Tesla’s business interests in China could give the government leverage over Twitter via its new owner. Bezos tweeted: “Interesting question. Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square?” Later Bezos answered saying “probably not” and then: “But we’ll see. Musk is extremely good at navigating this kind of complexity.”