No matter what happens to Elon Musk’s hostile offer on Twitter, the political megaphone is ready to be grabbed in a way we’ve never seen before.
Why it matters: No company is doing more to hold moment-t0-moment political talks. For all its toxicity and bias, Twitter is the first stop for politicians for breaking news and views.
Musk’s surprise move shocked Washington, even when Congress was paused – and through state and world capitals.
- Several Republicans hailed Musk as a hero and Twitter as a problem. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Wrote on Twitter (!): “Twitter censors are afraid of Elon Musk because they can’t buy his silence.”
- Democratic analyst Mary Ann Marsh wrote on Twitter: “@elonmusk’s offer to buy @Twitter, which targets # 2022Elections and # 2024Elections, is no coincidence. This is a threat to our #democracy.
- “The toasts and taunts for this tweet are all the necessary proof,” she wrote afterwards.
Between the lines: The debate over whether Musk would be good or bad for Twitter is not just about power or money. It is about the most American idea – freedom of speech – and the rights and obligations of private companies to draw the line between misinformation and censorship.
- It is also about where to draw the line of concentrating power in the hands of one man. And antitrust against big technology now means there may be less chance of a competitive bid.
Background: Musk’s move shows how vital Twitter has become in its 16 years for the immediate dissemination and analysis of political information.
- After Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky used it to send messages to the world and pressure President Biden and other leaders to help.
- It is also an indication of how deeply partisanship divides every aspect of Americans’ commitment to each other.
Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Chairman of the Republican Research Committee, told Axios in a statement that “Republicans have not been able to communicate on an equal footing online since 2016 and it has gotten worse since Biden joined Position”.
- “Big Tech is censoring my publications on organic sex, COVID, Hunter Biden, and even kitchen table issues like energy prices,” Banks said. “Democrats’ electoral strategy now relies on censorship.”
The constant removal of former President Trump from Twitter is still the engine of the conservative reaction. And just before Musk’s move, the former president’s rival platform, Truth Social, had to withdraw a confirmed Fox News account after a spokesman said the network had nothing to do with it.
- It could be said that Musk seems to be considering what Trump wants to do – but with the money to do so.
What they say: “I think the reason Twitter matters is because it’s a place where a lot of self-selected, highly politically active, politically motivated people go,” said Aaron Smith, director of Data Labs at Pew. Research Center.
- 10% of US adults on Twitter create 90% of tweets, he said. Twitter users target higher education users compared to non-college users. They also distort the Democratic.
- Of the 30 members of Congress with more than 1 million followers, Smith said 20 of his last count were Democrats and 10 Republicans.
- And 10% of the American lawmakers with the largest number of followers received 84% of the favorites and 81% of the retweets that go to Congress together.
Smith’s team said that from the 114th to the 116th Congress, the collective posts of deputies jumped from just over 1 million to 1.6 million. During the same period, the use of Twitter by Democrat lawmakers grew faster than that of Republicans.
- “This is the terrain they are fighting for now,” Smith said. “There is real-time feedback from journalists, legislators. What does this do to our discourse?
- “Twitter is a place where members of Congress will spread their message – everything from ‘Hey, I’ll be on this show at 5pm, look at me’; or “Come support our local heroes” to memes and guerrilla attacks and everything in between, “Smith said.
What we hear: Representative Ken Buck (R-Colo.), A member of the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on antitrust, told Axios in a telephone interview that when it comes to Musk: “I think if his refuse … he can very well start his own. “
Add Comment