Twitter is a popular corporate social media platform. It is premised around short instances of user-created content known as tweets,[note 1] and is distinguished from other social networking sites for its emphasis on content delivered in a microblogging format. Since 2022, Twitter, later renamed to X, was taken over by billionaire Elon Musk. The site began to decline as a whole and see a massive increase in right-wing extremist activity and content.[1]
History
Takeover by Elon Musk
In 2022, Elon Musk acquired the popular social media platform Twitter, a move which has proven disastrous for the site and its users. Almost immediately after the acquisition of the site, Musk fired most of its dedicated workforce (including moderators) in a matter of days,[2] restricted access to the site's API, harming third-party and open-source clients,[3] made account creation mandatory to view posts,[4] along with other harmful policies.
Musk received support from right-wing supporters of freedom of speech when he announced his intention to reduce censorship on the platform. However, it has been shown that the self-induced lack of moderation, in tandem with Musk's insistence that Twitter become a "free-speech platform," resulted in a massive increase in hate speech[5] while resulting in an inconsistent, often right-leaning interpretation of "free speech".[6][7][8] This includes at least one instance where Musk directly ordered the suspension of one left-wing activist's account, apparently on political grounds.[7]
Rebranding to "X"
In late July 2023, Musk abruptly initiated the process of rebranding Twitter to "š,"[note 2] following an ad-hoc, day-long poll to decide upon a new name and logo.[9] The rebranding has caused widespread confusion amongst users[9] and has otherwise proceeded sluggishly.
Content
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Content on Twitter, like other corporate social media, generates an environment which creates abdication among users. Twitter also creates a stressful setting which splits users into "in-groups" and "out-groups" based on their network of followers.[10]
Censorship
Twitter has openly admitted to installing an in-built bias in its algorithm which amplifies the reach of tweets from right-wing politicians and news organization over progressive and left-wing activists. In many cases, rightist-orientated accounts got over twice the amount of engagement over their center-right counterparts, to say nothing of socialist accounts.[11]
See also
External links
- 'We Make Mistakes': Twitter's Embrace of the Extreme Far Right on the Southern Poverty Law Center website
- Ex-Twitter page on Richard Stallman's website
References
- ā Kate Lyons (April 27, 2024). "The demise of Twitter: how a āutopian visionā for social media became a ātoxic messā". The Guardian. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ā Twitter lays off staff, Musk blames activists for ad revenue drop by Sheila Dang, Katie Paul and Paresh Dave (4 November 2022) Reuters
- ā Twitterās third-party client issue is seemingly a deliberate suspension by Ivan Mehta (16 January 2023) TechCrunch
- ā Twitter now requires an account to view tweets by Amanda Silberling (30 June 2023) TechCrunch
- ā Hate speech is soaring on Twitter under Elon Musk, report finds by Mia Sato (December 2, 2022) The Verge
- ā Mackey, Robert; Lee, Micah (29 Nov 2022). "Left-Wing Voices Are Silenced on Twitter as Far-Right Trolls Advise Elon Musk". The Intercept. Retrieved 19 Oct 2023.
- ā 7.0 7.1 Syme, Pete (27 Jan 2023). "A leaked internal message appears to show Elon Musk ordered Twitter staff to suspend a left-wing activist's account". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 Oct 2023.
- ā "QAnon supporters, bigots, and white nationalists: Here are the far-right accounts Elon Musk is catering to following Twitter's rebrand to X". Media Matters for America. 1 Aug 2023. Retrieved 19 Oct 2023.
- ā 9.0 9.1 Why is Twitter called X now? Elon Musk's rebrand explained and where it's going next by Mark Wilson (5 August 2023) techradar
- ā Judson Brewer (December 13, 2016). "Tweet or Troll? Why Twitter Is Amazingly Addictive". Psychology Today. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ā Dan Milmo (October 21, 2021). "Twitter admits bias in algorithm for rightwing politicians and news outlets". The Guardian. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
Notes
- ā Officially called "posts" since the site's rebranding.
- ā Sometimes called pejoratively "ex-Twitter" by critics such as Richard Stallman. This has the effect of recognizing that Twitter is now longer "Twitter," but nonetheless refusing to comply with Musk's new naming of the platform.