If Elon Musk buys Twitter, a huge shift is about to occur across the entire world. The narrative could soon be controlled by the people again.
Twists and turns have filled the process of the richest man in the world purchasing Twitter, ostensibly to restore free speech to the world and the internet. However you might feel about Elon Musk buying the angriest bird on the planet, it would seem that we have reached a conclusion. Musk is on track to buy the communication platform on Friday. When he does, there is no major alternative and no other option is on the way anytime soon.
Musk has promised to open up the platform to become a beacon of free speech. For many that’s a huge positive. For many others, it’s a threat. Consider that government officials will now have to contend with people expressing their views without hurdle. Consider that corporations will immediately lose the ability to curate the narratives they want to supersede all other online. All of these systems have been put in place — mostly covertly — over the last two decades in an effort to control the wild west that was the world wide web. Now, those barriers are being broken down. If Musk comes through with what he has promised, the vast intelligentsia of websites controlled by a small number of huge corporations will suddenly face free discourse as an opponent. Think of how Rotten Tomatoes will no longer be able to hide what people really think of movies and entertainment. Think of how websites that cover video games will suddenly be faced with a platform that really does allow aggregated thoughts from consumers.
In his text messages, Mr. Musk told Mr. Agrawal that he wanted to reverse all permanent Twitter bans “except for spam accounts and those that explicitly advocate violence.” — Kevin Roose, The New York Times
There are those who believe all this is a horrible thing coming into the world. They believe that corporate narratives are best for the world. They often enjoy having control over what is acceptable online. They have been the benefactors of a shadow ban and outright ban system that has created a hierarchy of beliefs and believers all over the web. Think a virus was generated in a lab during 2020? Silenced. Feel that a movie is a cheap virtue signal with a poor narrative? Shadow banned with your audience stripped from you.
None of this is theoretical. You’re currently reading an article on a website that covers theme park and entertainment news. We’re banned from Twitter and we’ve never been given a reason why. How many other sites and individuals out there are the same?
Ultimately, however, if Elon does what Elon says he will do, we are the victors. And free speech, the most important disinfectant in society (even if it comes with its own problems), will return to discourse at large. So get ready for a huge influx of thinkers returning to online society. Get ready as well for a backlash against Twitter from all the forces that don’t want that to happen. I’m just not sure they can outsmart Musk even if they try though. I wouldn’t want to be the mental opponent of the guy who created the electric car industry from scratch and figured out how to land rockets back on Earth.
Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2022
But it isn’t just Twitter being owned by Musk that terrifies the oligarchs, the corrupt corporations, the ultra elites…
If Musk is successful with Twitter, why would he stop there? Why would he not create a competitor for YouTube? And if he does so, and if it is based on free speech, the corporations will lose even more than they already have to private entrepreneurs. Tim Pool is already trouncing major news networks with a tiny crew and a video camera — if that is scaled up throughout all sectors of viewership, you can see why a catch-all information sharing app by Musk is a threat to entertainment curators, to corruption and to the gatekeepers at large.
As for this website, we’ll see you on Twitter again very, very soon.
At least as long as new management behind the little, angry blue bird comes into place.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts.
I’m going to try not to enjoy this TOO much.
I find it odd that the rich “oligarchs, the corrupt corporations, the ultra elites” didn’t band together to outbid Musk for Twitter. Musk was sued by Twitter to complete the deal, so he did.
Remember, Musk was previously ran Paypal that did it’s own version of cancel culture (after Musk left). All major corporations engage in silencing the opposition. They are feeling the heat that cancel culture has financial ramifications. It depresses earnings when they expel or loss customers. They didn’t think they need them. We will see if Twitter will expand their usage. I see it more of an opportunity for Musk to expand it’s marketing messaging to Tesla, SpaceX, and various other new business opportunities.
Well, I have to admit, Twitter needs fixing. After all, Twitter is being toxic nowadays. I mean, did you see the guy named Billy Eichner’s tweet complaining about people being homophobes because they didn’t see his dumb movie, Bros? Talk about embarrassing!