Twitterians Buzzing After Musk Buys Platform as They Doubt Genuine Support of Free Speech
Musk reached a deal to buy Twitter for around $44 billion in a move that will delist the social media giant from the New York Stock Exchange and make it privately-held. The billionaire businessman has stuck to his narrative of wanting to be a "free speech absolutist" who would revolutionize Twitter’s role in public debates.
Sputnik"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Elon Musk has stated on Twitter.
Musk's
latest deal is raising concerns among netizens about whether the billionaire has the right to determine the boundaries of free speech on one of the biggest social media platforms (but has there ever actually been free speech on social media?)
"Elon Musk is such a big believer in democracy that he’s seized a communications platform and intends to reshape it according to his personal whims," one user tweeted. "Please don't get sucked into Elon Musk's free speech rant... He is a capitalist, which by nature isn't a bad thing... It's just that he loves capital more than liberty. That's all. This free speech rant by him just reeks of hypocrisy...," Malaysian anchor Ibrahim Sani posted.
"Musk’s stated reasons for buying Twitter are self-contradictory. He’s going to unlock Twitter’s profitability but also not running it to make money. He’s going to make the platform better for “absolute free speech” but create a subscription tier (impediment to unfettered speech!)," user Eli Pariser tweeted.
"Twitter has been sold to Elon Musk. Let’s hope he treats it far better than he treats his workers, or the environment, or the animals he’s implanting with neuralink, or the countries he supports coup’ing, or anyone who gets in his way," Lee Camp said.
Musk has openly boasted about letting "even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," but evidence suggests he has a mixed record on the issue.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a statement also expressed concerns about Musk's move.
"We should be worried about any powerful central actor, whether it's a government or any wealthy individual - even if it's an ACLU member - having so much control over the boundaries of our political speech online," the human rights group said in a tweet.
Republicans, Democrats Split on Reaction
Meanwhile, US conservatives have applauded the acquisition as a win for free speech.
Congressman Jim Jordan in a tweet said "free speech is making a comeback," and attached an article about Musk's buyout. Senator Marsha Blackburn was also encouraged by the announcement.
"I am hopeful that Elon Musk will help rein in Big Tech’s history of censoring users that have a different viewpoint," Blackburn said in a tweet.
Democrats saw it as another example of why the rich need to be taxed.
"This deal is dangerous for our democracy. Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain. We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable," Senator Elizabeth Warner tweeted.
Before calling for a wealth tax, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said that from 2014-2018, Musk paid an effective tax rate of 3.27% while working families paid 13 percent.
Meanwhile, one lawmaker suggested Musk has proven at least one thing today about the wealthy.
"If they can afford to buy Twitter, they can afford to pay their fair share in taxes," Congresswoman Katherine Clark added.
"If this is true, @elonmusk buying Twitter could be very good news for everyone who cares about free speech; I say “could” because it all depends on what he actually does with it," Tulsi Gabbard tweeted.