It is therefore concluded, Elon Musk and the Board of Directors of Twitter reached an agreement on April 25 on the acquisition of the social network for some 44 billion dollars. If Twitter, and its 436 million subscribers, is far from being the most popular social network on the planet, it is one of the most influential. Activists, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs rub shoulders and exchange on a daily basis… Hence the political questions posed by the operation with the main one, that it is the political vision of the richest man on the planet. (247 billion euros) for its new toy?
Conservatives can’t wait to say anything and everything on Twitter
This is one of the elements most highlighted by Elon Musk since the beginning of his pas de deux with Twitter, freedom of expression. In celebrating the agreement for the acquisition of the social network, his first sentence was naturally devoted to this value, ” Freedom of expression is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital public square where issues vital to the future of humanity are debated. “.
??♥️ Yesss!!! ♥️?? pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022
Elon Musk hasn’t said anything specific about his free speech plans for Twitter, but it’s been the hottest topic in the US and elsewhere. The billionaire has repeatedly criticized overly strict moderation of the platform in the past, citing the possibility of lifting permanent account bans.
It’s done, Elon Musk buys Twitter for 44 billion dollars
Quick statements to raise cheers in the ranks of elected Republicans, the representative of Ohio Jim Jordan did not hesitate to proclaim ” Freedom of expression is back “. Senator Marsha Blackburn said, I hope Elon Musk will help end Big Tech’s history of censorship of users with a different point of view. “.
Today is an encouraging day for freedom of speech. I am hopeful that Elon Musk will help rein in Big Tech’s history of censoring users that have a different viewpoint.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) April 25, 2022
The blocking of the former president’s @RealDonaldTrump account on January 8, 2021, reinforced a pre-existing sentiment among American conservatives about alleged targeted social media censorship. Donald Trump himself, shortly before the deal was concluded, hailed the potential takeover on Fox News while explaining that he would remain on his own highly successful social network, ” I hope Elon buys Twitter because he will improve it and he is a good man, but I will stay TRUTH “.
It should be noted that in France, where the presidential election and the future legislative elections occupy everyone’s mind, these same cheers were confined to secondary figures of the far right such as Florian Philippot or Jean Messiha.
the Los Angeles Times pointed out, in general, the reactions “ ecstatic of the conservative clan. The daily relayed a study by MIT and Yale showing that social media users presenting themselves as Republicans are more often suspended, but are also more likely to share false claims.
Can Twitter become even more toxic?
On the other side of the spectrum, the positions of those who present themselves as a ” free speech absolutist ” worry. For many, they represent an open door to hate speech, harassment, the dissemination of false information, already too present on the platform. So many risks that do not seem to particularly bother the curators.
The NGO Amnesty International had a pithy reaction: two words: toxic Twitter “. Deborah Brown, digital rights researcher at Human Rights Watch warned about Reuters“ Freedom of speech is not an absolute right, which is why Twitter must invest in efforts to keep its most vulnerable users safe on the platform. “. Derrick Johnson, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, directly challenged Elon Musk, ” freedom of speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. …Don’t allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech or lies that subvert our democracy “.
Two words: toxic twitter.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) April 25, 2022
These dreaded excesses of the extensive definition of American freedom of expression, Europe should be spared. Cédric O, Secretary of State for Digital for a few more days and European Commissioner Thierry Breton, did not fail to recall the existence of the Digital Services Act. The text, which passed a decisive stage this weekend before its entry into force, formalizes the obligation of moderation of digital platforms.
From cars to digital platforms, any business operating in Europe must comply with our rules.
And this, regardless of the shareholding.
Mr. Musk knows this very well.
He knows the rules ?? when it comes to cars and will quickly adapt to the #DSA.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) April 26, 2022
In the same vein, Politico reports that a White House spokesperson explained, ” Regardless of who owns or runs Twitter, the president has long worried about the power the big social media platforms have over our daily lives. “.
The elected Democrats have dealt their blows to the extreme wealth of Elon Musk and the power it gives him. Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark observed, “ If they can afford to buy Twitter, they can afford to pay their fair share of taxes “. A transparent reference to the billionaire’s intensive tax optimization practices.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has already scrapped with Elon Musk on Twitter, considers that ” This agreement is dangerous for our democracy “. She added “ We need a wealth tax and tough rules to hold Big Tech accountable “.
The ambiguous Mr. Musk
Beyond this immediate divide around freedom of expression, many Anglo-Saxon media wondered about Elon Musk’s real political views. A question that arises all the more acutely as Twitter is considered a very influential social network both in France and in the United States, where it has 8 million and 69 million active users respectively.
The opinions of the fifty-year-old native of South Africa remain impermeable to most observers. The one who registered as an independent on the electoral lists in California, then in Texas, repeats that he is not interested in politics. While chaining divisive positions on his favorite network. From this gloubi-bulga of tweets, it emerges that Elon Musk’s political party comes down above all to the personal interests of Elon Musk.
Often described as a libertarian, giving priority to freedom over everything and in particular state interventionism, he presented himself as a ” moderate ” Where ” socially liberal and fiscally conservative “. He also admitted not to take anything he said too seriously.
Anyone who wants to be a champion of freedom of expression has a hard time when he is contradicted within his companies or with journalists who dare to criticize his products. On the one hand he criticizes federal subsidies promoted by the Biden administration, on the other he takes advantage of them. In his recent interventions, he has been extremely critical of the decisions taken around Covid, calling travel restrictions fascist and trying to keep his factories open…
These are just a few examples of the contradictions of an Elon Musk, who seems above all to rely on himself to solve all the problems and above all to get rich. Money does not appear to be the billionaire’s main motivation, the platform has always struggled to strengthen its profitability. So is this takeover simply the means to have a tool of influence at the service of its interests or more broadly of its vision of the world? In this case, faced with the criticisms and new sections of regulation that the billionaire will inevitably face, he could end up quickly getting tired of his toy.