What future for Twitter?
After its acquisition by Elon Musk for 44 billion dollars, the direction that the blue bird firm will take is questioning.
The American billionaire, who renamed himself “Chief Twit” – chief moron – on his personal account, did not hide his desire to make big changes.
The objective displayed for months by the richest man in the world is clear: to relax, or even remove, the rules of moderation to make the platform a space of "free speech" - of total freedom of expression.
Even if it means seeing false information and calls for hatred online surge on a central network in terms of influence.
>> To read also: Elon Musk and Twitter: “absolute freedom of expression”… with variable geometry
Economic risks
But, notes Virginie Clève, consultant in digital strategy, the method is not without risk.
Because, by "cutting into the quick", the American billionaire can weaken the company, already tested by the global economic context and the months of uncertainty which preceded the takeover and resulted in the departure of many executives.
"The spirit of openness and freedom of speech that has long prevailed at Twitter was already in contradiction with the policies of brands, which prefer to invest in advertising placed in controlled areas so as not to risk tarnishing their image" , abounds Dominique Boullier, specialist in digital uses at Sciences Po Paris.
"If Elon Musk deregulates Twitter even further, he may cause them problems."
"The most respected advertising platform in the world"
Twitter's need for advertising, which Elon Musk said he wanted to make "the most respected advertising platform in the world" could therefore paradoxically play the role of safeguard.
Because if Twitter remains essential in terms of influence, it has never managed to become truly profitable.
Unlike that of its rivals, Meta / Facebook or TikTok, the financial power of the company is indeed limited: the Californian group thus achieved 1.2 billion dollars in turnover between April and June 2022, i.e. 35 times less than its competitor Meta.
Because, precisely, of its inability to "completely monetize", that is to say to economically enhance its audience, via advertising placements and programmatic advertising.
Reassure investors
Faced with this risk, Elon Musk sought to reassure investors: he promised Thursday that he did not want to make Twitter a "hellish place, open to everyone, where everything can be said without consequence", but a "public place " and a place of "healthy and violence-free debate".
Too much deregulation would also expose it to sanctions from the States, even if they struggle to regulate the platforms.
The European Commission has just adopted the Digital Services Act, a package of measures which "attempts to push social networks to increase their transparency and moderation", according to the specialist in digital issues, Anuchika Stanislaus.
A crossroad"
Its effectiveness remains to be proven, however: just adopted, the plan should not come into effect before 2024. But, hopes Anuchika Stanislaus, "the jurisprudence that will result from it may eventually force the platforms to play the game of moderation".
In the meantime, Elon Musk and Twitter are therefore at a "crossroads", according to Dominique Boullier: either the billionaire goes to the end of his idea and considerably lightens moderation, at the risk of alienating investors;
or he puts water in his wine by opting for an editorial policy that counterbalances the perverse effects that the virality of the network can have.
But he can just as well succeed in doing both: "Elon Musk is smart and he wants to do business", concludes Dominique Boullier.
"He can find a middle ground, with algorithmic and technical solutions that resolve this tension and turn this difficulty into an advantage."
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