“Is a new platform needed?”, the world’s richest man asked his millions of followers, receiving mixed responses.
Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, has posted a question on his Twitter page asking users: “Is a new platform needed?”
Considering the high number of people who follow the billionaire, this question created a series of conversations about the social media outlet, with ranging opinions.
When one user asked Musk directly if he was considering building a new platform, he replied: “am giving serious thought into this.”
Would you consider building a new social media platform, @elonmusk? One that would consist an open source algorithm, one where free speech and adhering to free speech is given top priority, one where propaganda is very minimal. I think that kind of a platform is needed.
— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) March 26, 2022
Musk has been known to use Twitter quite often, whether to comment on current events or to simply provide updates about his company’s ventures to Mars. However he’s recently started to question the position of the media platform in today’s society.
“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy, what should be done?”, Musk asked his leagues of followers in another tweet.
As expected, opinions were mixed, with some among them pointing out that he should simply buy out Twitter himself.
One user suggested Musk should purchase Twitter so that he could shut it down!
Seize the memes of production!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2022
However, there were those who said that creating or owning a platform which had practically no control over what its users said could create a number of its own problems.
“Zero restrictions? Good luck. Extreme violent threats. Extreme hate speech. This issue has been put to the test – it’s not simple and anyone that has to actually deal with it, knows that”, another person pointed out.
This question, along with the poll Musk created a few days earlier, asking his followers whether they believed that Twitter “rigorously adheres” the principles of free speech, have created an air of speculation as to Musk’s intentions in the coming days.
He had warned those participating in the poll that: “the consequences will be important,” asking them to “please vote carefully.”
With all these conflicting opinions in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how Musk moves forward in the near future.
It’s worth mentioning that there have been others in the past who have attempted to break away from Twitter and create their own social media platforms, like Donald Trump with his Truth Social, but most of these efforts had disappointing results.
