April 26, 2022

Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought Twitter on Monday for $44 billion. Despite Musk’s goodwill, which fueled his decision to buy the social media platform, the news of a new Twitter owner was received with mixed reactions by people around the world.

For many users who opposed the agreement, the question remains how Elon Musk, who describes himself as an absolutist free speech activist, can control online abuse without curbing freedom of expression.

But for those who support the move to buy Twitter, many believe the multibillion-dollar takeover will bring about a radical change in the way social media platforms operate.

Changes Elon Musk wants to bring to Twitter include making Twitter’s Tweet Prioritization algorithm public, less moderation and reinstatement of banned people, user-friendly tweaks to the service, including an edit button, and combating “spam bots” that send overwhelming amounts of unwanted tweets.

But the outcome of Elon Musk’s ambition remains unknown. For critics, some of his calls will not go down well in the long run, and for others, it is the right call to tackle the dictatorial powers of social media.

The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.