Famous meme lord Elon Musk has bought a 9.2% stake in Twitter, which gives us more hope for an edit button and a dogecoin tip jar. He has also just joined the board.
According to CNBC, his shares in the bird app totaled 73,486,938. This makes Elon Musk Twitter’s largest shareholder. CNBC noted that he’s been very critical of Twitter’s “failing to adhere to free speech principles,” and he’s tweeted that he might build a new social media platform. Perhaps his stake in Twitter represents his hope for succeeding with his aims through an easier and more popular route, Twitter.
Last month, Twitter suspended The Babylon Bee for engaging in “hateful conduct.” The Bee is a satirical new site with a splash of Christianity thrown in. The editors are Christian and have been vocal about their faith. During an interview with Elon Musk, The Bee’s creative director asked Elon to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Elon replied:
“There’s great wisdom in the teachings of Jesus, and I agree with those teachings. Things like ‘turn the other cheek’ are very important, as opposed to ‘an eye for an eye.’ An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.
“Forgiveness, you know, is important and treating people as you would wish to be treated.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself. Very important. … But hey, if Jesus is saving people … I won’t stand in his way. Sure, I’ll be saved. Why not?”
I don’t think it was the right move for Twitter to suspend The Bee. Twitter also suspended former President Trump for spreading misinformation. However, the Russian Embassy is often tweeting outright false news about its war with Ukraine. I have seen the issue of Donald Trump come up, and people asking if the former president will have his account restored.
I don’t like Trump at all, but if we are following the principles of free speech, then this is a bit of a tricky situation that does need to be addressed. However, I think what Twitter needs the most is an algorithm that can detect when hate speech and bullying are being used and limit their spread.
Also, I think the algorithm needs to learn how to detect when it’s being manipulated by both bots and trolls. I see this often with the crypto bots using Elon’s profile image and even using verified accounts to tweet crypto scams. Twitter is quick to punish real people for playing a joke, such as my friend @TeslaPhx, who recently got his account back after it was suspended for changing his name & pic to Elon Musk as an April fools joke.
One thing I’ve noticed on Twitter that’s new is that it does try to censor how you talk, especially if you curse. I’m an avid user of select curse words, it’ll get a flag for hate speech — even when I’m agreeing with someone about something!
On TikTok, a completely different app, many users create new words — such as “unalive,” being used as a verb, or “grape,” used in lieu of rape — in order to not have their accounts suspended by the app’s algorithm. This is something we don’t want Twitter to become. Free speech will simply evolve and reign free no matter how hard apps and algorithms try to suppress it.
What are your thoughts on Elon Musk now being the largest shareholder of Twitter?
Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Click Here For The Original Story
Recently, SEC Chair Gary Gensler issued fresh warnings about cryptocurrencies amid Bitcoin's surge to a…
Pay Dirt is Slate’s money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Athena here. (It’s anonymous!) Dear…
By Virma Simonette & Kelly Ngin Manila and Singapore14 March 2024Image source, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime…
Technology has disrupted many aspects of traditional life. When you are sitting at dinner and…
Reports of suicides, missing bodies, sexual kompromat and emptied bank accounts as fake sangomas con…
A South African woman has been left with her head in her hands after she…