The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk has provoked mixed reactions in the United States. Conservatives rejoiced over the return of relative freedom of speech, while supporters of left-wing ideas fear disinformation and hatred on the platform under the new leadership, reports Politico. The Democrats were in the least fortunate situation – at the risk of losing the election, they are seriously afraid of the impact of the social network on the mood of the voters, the author of the material emphasizes.
Having closed the deal to buy Twitter, Elon Musk immediately fired four key managers of the company and caused both anxiety and relief in the political world. Conservatives, right-wingers and “Trumpists” see Musk as the “liberator” of the social network, while leftists and liberals fear misinformation and its impact on the upcoming election, Politico reported. On Friday, Musk said he would form a “content moderation council,” adding that “no important decisions will be made in regulating the social network’s ‘content’ and restoring blocked accounts until this council is convened.” However, some Democrats are already saying that the consequences of a billionaire acquisition of Twitter would be “enormous and terrible.”
Analysts on both sides of the political spectrum drew attention to the firing of Vijay Gadde, the platform’s chief lawyer and policy director for free speech and content moderation. This pleased conservatives, who have long accused her of blocking Donald Trump, and puzzled their opponents: “To leave Twitter without someone in this important position when it may be most needed is really troubling,” the publication quoted Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, as saying. According to technical experts, it is unlikely that the content moderation systems of the social network will change quickly, because the reconfiguration of some algorithms takes a long time. That is, the existing mechanisms for the prevention, detection and removal of disinformation and materials inciting hatred will continue to function unless they are deliberately turned off, the author writes.
In Washington, the billionaire’s actions are being watched closely: “Mr. Musk has a lot to prove, because just this week the Justice Department opened an investigation into another of his businesses, Tesla,” said House member Jan Schakowsky, adding that he would oversee “the company’s continued commitment to promoting a healthy dialogue, free of misinformation and harassment.”
Of course, the biggest potential “game-changer” could be the return to Twitter of Donald Trump, who had more than 88 million followers. The former president, a year after his account was blocked, created his own social network, Truth Social, which certainly has a much smaller reach. Among right-wing online platforms, the idea that Musk could quickly change the “culture and standards” of Twitter has so far been dismissed. For Democrats, the news of the social network’s purchase comes at the worst possible time – Republicans are likely to become the majority in the House of Representatives next month, and Trump is expected to run for president again. What’s more, in May, Elon Musk called Democrats “the party of divisiveness and hatred” and has generally never hidden his political beliefs, Politico writes.