Who knew? Only anyone with a job these days. But hey,it probably helps to have a spaceship when you need that rare time out. Turns out a lot of them did leave when given the heads-up.A lot of the rest were already sacked. So,where to now for Twitter?
There has been a lot of focus on Musk’s allegedly chaotic and authoritarian takeover of the platform,but the reason people are deleting their Twitter accounts is his illiberal and totally untutored idea of what he calls “free speech”.
Like a lot of privileged white men,he appears to have no understanding that speech is not free. Even in the social media age. It depends on who owns the platform,who regulates and moderates the speech and who has the loudest voice in the room.
When announcing his decision to reverse the permanent Twitter ban on Donald Trump,Musk said it was:“morally wrong and flat-out stupid”. He described himself as a“free speech absolutist”. It is yet unclear if Trump will return to Twitter.
The most interesting thing is Musk’s failure to define what he means by “free speech”. That’s a can of worms Musk does not appear equipped to open. Speech has never been free or unregulated. The classic legal example is you can’t cry fire in a public venue. Nor should you defame someone. You are not allowed to be in contempt of court.
On social media,most people don’t know that because they don’t have a law degree. That’s why we need trained and expert content moderators. The online and social media era ushered in a more democratic opportunity for people to speak. But Musk should have a handle on what he is unleashing without competent moderators.