Good day, everyone! Or, at least, I hope it is a good day for all you guys… It’s hard to tell now, especially after Elon Musk’s successful $44 billion takeover of Twitter.
It seems as if everyone and their mom has an opinion on Elon and what he’s doing with the platform. Some feel that he’s going to make the platform a better place (and they reply to all his Tweets), while others are preparing to leave Twitter for Tumblr and other platforms.
I have my own opinions (HINT: not really in favor of Elon), but I’m trying to keep an open mind as the changes to Twitter come into effect.
Let’s look at what has happened on the app over the past few days.
Mass Layoff
The saddest part of new management is always the ensuing firings. There was no exception with Elon’s Twitter acquisition. Approximately half of the company was laid off, from almost all departments of the company.
The 3700 fired employees were locked out of their company accounts the day before the news was official, sometimes even in the middle of the night (depending on timezone).
I understand why Elon felt the company needed to downsize, but it could have been done more compassionately.
$20 verifi…I mean, $8 verification
One of Elon’s major announcements since taking over Twitter is the advent of a paid verification. Users will soon be able to get a blue check by paying a monthly fee for Twitter Blue.
Elon originally stated the fee was $20 a month, but many on Twitter cringed at that price point, which is higher than most subscriptions for really anything.
After a Tweet from author Stephen King deriding the monthly payment, Elon announced a reduction of the price to $8 a month.
Even with the price drop, a lot of users, both verified and not, have stated that they will not be paying the fee. They feel that having to pay for verification defeats the purpose and is not, in fact, free speech. Many of these people also aren’t a fan of giving Elon Musk more money than he already has.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is especially against Twitter’s new features, and she has made her disagreements with Musk public.
Advertisers Leaving Twitter
This next topic is not a feature that Twitter is pushing out. In fact, it may be the opposite. Since Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, companies have been removing advertisements from the platform. This is in part because of organizations letting their concerns about Elon Musk known to companies.
These groups (and individuals) feel that Elon has a history of making offensive comments is not moving Twitter in the right track ideologically.
Elon has made his disdain of these efforts known.
The owner of Twitter believes that the efforts of activists to convince advertisers to leave Twitter is an attack on free speech.
I personally believe the opposite. The fact that individuals are making their concerns about Elon and Twitter known to companies reaffirms free speech. People are voicing their own beliefs, and companies are exercising the right to put their own money where they feel is best. That’s how it should be.
So Much More to Come
I can spend so much more time writing about Elon’s Twitter takeover, but alas, I do not have that time. I also don’t want to make you suffer through an insanely long article.
I will follow this very soon (unless I’m lying) with a second article on all the recent developments about Musk’s Twitter.
Time to study for tomorrow’s Calc midterm…
