It has become easier to tweet at a perceived enemy than to search for common ground
The toxic rhetoric on Twitter under the leadership of Elon Musk is questionable
Elon Musk is determined to change the politics of the digital platform.
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Danielle Citron questions the feasibility of the proposed amendments.
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The rhetoric has never been civilized on Twitter, and the loudest voices often outweigh those seeking objectivity and accuracy.
It has become much easier to tweet at a perceived enemy than to find common ground, whether the argument is about children or baseball, or other issues.
With the chaos that has surrounded the Twitter platform since young billionaire Elon Musk took over, it has become clear that this is not going to change anytime soon.
In fact, it is likely to get worse before it gets better, if at all.
Musk and his team of loyalists arrived on Twitter more than a week ago, and they are ready to demolish the Blue Bird's Nest and rebuild it again, according to his vision and at breakneck speed.
He quickly fired the top executives and the board of directors, installed himself as sole director of the company (for the time being), and declared himself "chief tweeter."
On Friday, he began mass layoffs at the San Francisco-based company, firing half of the staff via emails, returning the company to staffing levels not seen since 2014.
And after broaching the idea of charging users $20 a month for the “blue checkmark” and some additional features, he quickly seemed to cut back on the amount, during a Twitter exchange with author Stephen King, who posted: “If this applies I’m leaving.” Like Enron did.
"We need to pay the bills somehow, and Twitter can't be completely dependent on advertisers," the billionaire said, asking, "How about eight dollars?"
And the company announced a subscription service for $ 7.99 per month, which allows anyone on the platform to pay a fee for the blue tick, “just like celebrities, companies, and politicians who are already followed by thousands,” in addition to some special features - not yet available - such as distinguishing their tweets from those received from accounts. without the blue tick.
It is not clear when the fee verification flag will become available.
The tag will replace what was considered a security feature designed to combat fake accounts.
easing restrictions
The new CEO has repeatedly engaged with right-wing figures calling for easing restrictions on hate and disinformation, received congratulations from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Musk tweeted, commenting on a “baseless conspiracy” regarding the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was attacked in his house, to remove what was written later.
Meanwhile, more than 30 organizations wrote an open letter to the 20 largest advertisers on Twitter, calling on them to commit to stopping advertising on the platform if Twitter, under Musk's supervision, undermines the platform's "brand integrity" and eliminates content moderation. .
"Not only are extremists celebrating Musk's takeover of Twitter, they see it as a new opportunity to spread even worse, harassing and racist rhetoric and images," the letter said.
"This includes clear threats of violence against people who disagree with them," she added.
One of Musk's first steps was to fire the woman responsible for trust and safety on the platform, Vijaya Ghadi, but he retained the platform's head of safety and integrity, Yoel Roth, and took steps to reassure users and advertisers that the site would not turn into a "site where everyone does whatever they want," which he fears. some of it.
On Friday, the billionaire wrote, "Twitter's strong commitment to content moderation has not changed at all.
In fact, we have seen a decline in hateful rhetoric at times this week, contrary to what we might read in the press.
However, a growing number of advertisers are pausing spending on Twitter while they reassess how Musk's changes could lead to an increase in objectionable material on the platform.
Musk also met with some civil rights leaders "about how Twitter can continue to fight hate and harassment and enforce integrity policies," according to a tweet he sent earlier this month.
The billionaire said he would not make significant decisions about content, or restore banned accounts - such as that of former President Donald Trump - before creating a "content moderation board" with diverse viewpoints.
He later added that the council would include "the civil rights community and groups facing violence fueled by hate."
freedom of expression
But experts noted that Twitter already has a trust and safety advisory board to address moderation questions.
"I really can't imagine how different it would be," said University of Virginia law professor and council member Danielle Citron, who has worked with Twitter since its inception in 2009 to address online harms such as threats and stalking. Opinions on Freedom of Expression”.
Some degree of chaos is expected after the acquisition, including layoffs or layoffs, but Musk's opaque plans for the platform - particularly policies to moderate content, misinformation and hate speech - are raising warnings of where one of the world's most popular information systems is headed.
All that seems certain is that, for now at least, Twitter will go where Musk wants it.
For his part, the platform's former civil integrity team leader, Eddie Perez, who left the company before Musk took office, said, "I hope you gain responsibility and maturity," adding, "You are now the owner of Twitter, and there is a new level of responsibility."
Musk's opaque plans for the platform — particularly its content moderation policies, misinformation and hate speech — are raising warnings of where one of the world's most notorious information systems is headed.
Some degree of chaos is expected after the company's takeover, including layoffs or layoffs.
The new CEO has repeatedly engaged with right-wing figures calling for loosening restrictions on hate and disinformation.
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