Why Twitter’s Future Remains Uncertain.
“Twitter was around communication and visualizing what was happening in the world in real-time. — Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter.
While this article might be late to the party regarding the news of Elon Musk spending over $40 billion — or possibly less — to purchase almost every single share of Twitter, the company’s future may still be up for grabs. Amid executives and employees questioning their own future, there’s an underpinning of negativity surrounding Musk’s attempt to purchase the social media platform.
To be fair, Twitter hasn’t always been a smooth operation since its inception. Following Jack Dorsey’s exit from being the CEO in 2021, the bird-themed-platform has had plenty of developments to answer critiques that have developed over time. Everything from features for group-chats, live-audio-implementation, and ways to make payments between users emerged from natural innovation.
In the quest to make a more equitable platform, he’s mentioned ideas such as the desire to ‘authenticate all real humans’ while conservative lawmakers see a potential that will allow conservative viewpoints to escape any sort of algorithms that seek to stop them. While these ideas may not be as innovative as the Tesla or Space X blueprints he’s built his fortune and notoriety under, it still presents two interesting questions:
1. Will Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter’s shares change how the platform operates in any meaningful way?
And…
2. Will his ownership last beyond a simple social-media-experiment?
The 21st Century News Cycle.
“We need to be prepared for all scenarios.” — Parag Agrawal, CEO of Twitter.
While traditional outlets such as newspapers, television, and radio still reach millions of viewers, the fastest way information spreads through the modern age is through social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, or another player in the Internet’s ever-expanding digital sandbox, people have been accustomed to viewing news as it happens for the greater part of two decades.
Giving Internet users the ability to filter out the type of content they want to interact with — let alone who they want to be ‘friends’ with — has been instrumental in fine-tuning the user experience. Being able to have information curated in relation to our hobbies, interests, and personal lives is an art these companies have spent the last decade perfecting.
Critics of the way social media websites filter this content usually has to do with how companies collect data on one’s lifestyle and hobbies…but it also has to do with which news stories — or viewpoints — the websites allow to be published. For years, many Americans and conservative commentators have criticized what they perceive to be an extension of established media’s “liberal bias” in controlling the algorithms of social media.
Ideally, Musk says he wants to change that. To him, a better form of Twitter involves a better flow of information — and that comes with allowing political ideologies of all stripes and colors to flourish. Whether you identify as a conservative, liberal, libertarian, non-partisan, centrist, or apolitical, Musk sees changing the news-algorithms of Twitter as a necessary step towards liberation.
This likely stems from the idea that trends or tweets harboring conservative ideology will be silenced in favor of tweets that promote liberalism. Whether or not this is correct of course depends on who you talk to…and where the reports come from.
Critics of Musk’s attempt to change Twitter can point to the lawsuits his companies have faced as being unable to provide the equity in the workplace — and information-space — he so desires. For them, if you can’t harbor a psychologically-safe work-environment under companies you already own and operate…then what makes you think you can change the companies you didn’t?
Even though all major companies and figures will inevitably face lawsuits from employees who believe they weren’t treated fairly, it doesn’t help your argument when past grievances come back as obstacles to your ambitions…especially when black workers accuse the operations of allowing a ‘culture of racism.’ A court judge authorizing a payout of $15 million after the lawsuit in question will be black mark on the company’s reputation going forward.
So to answer the first question: even if grievances are addressed and operations are changed, Musk’s work-ethic may not be able to outpace any continued bad publicity. Building the engines to cars and rocket-ships are one thing, controlling the modern discourse or information is something else entirely. He may not end up being CEO but you can only have your irons in so many fires before the blaze starts to get out of control.
Would You Sell A Restored Birdhouse?
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to plan to sell a company.” — Elon Musk.
The answer to the second question is a little bit trickier. The other side of the coin is that Musk may prefer to use Twitter as an experiment to showcase the key problems of social media before selling his fixes to the highest bidder — assuming the value of the company doesn’t plummet in the process.
If he, the executives, and whoever remains CEO, are able to crack down on the platform’s long-standing-grievances — such as spam-bots — then any acquisition and resell may prove to be a net-positive. Perhaps Musk will sell Twitter at a loss to prove a point — although this scenario is unlikely given his entrepreneurial history.
As of the time of this writing, any sort of deal between Musk and Twitter remains on hold; the percentage of spambots on the platform is something he wants to confirm before any acquisition takes place. These necessities may lead to a purge of spam accounts — or a different plan of operation entirely. Even if Twitter remains in the operational hands of Agrawal, there’s only so many plates one person can spin at the same time before moving all of them turns a company’s journey into a treacherous endeavor.
No matter who owns the birdhouse, new problems in social media use will always come home to roost…
…regardless of who the birdkeeper is.
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