Elon Musk | Owner of X

[Camilo]

Probably for the best. If everyone spews hate on day one then that's fine. It will show people for who they are, rather than the world continuing to pretend people are good.

We're all cnuts - better to acknowledge it sooner rather than later.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Tweet

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[The Firestarter]

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ffs

 

[Lemoor]

The UK Government's Online Safety Bill wants to clamp down (in a very ineffective way) on fake news and disinformation. But now Twitter is in private hands I genuinely don't see Musk bending to any Government demands from the UK, US or elsewhere.

Why would taking the company private mean that he doesn't need to adhere to the law?

 

[Wibble]

As if there isn't enough rubbish spewed on Twitter already.

 

[esmufc07]

The vast majority of people in the world don’t use Twitter. I can’t help but think this isn’t that big a deal and won’t affect most people.

Facebook is a far bigger problem.

 

[SilentWitness]

The vast majority of people in the world don’t use Twitter. I can’t help but think this isn’t that big a deal and won’t affect most people.

Facebook is a far bigger problem.

I feel like the problem though is that many of the important members of society/members of society that feed others such as journalists, celebrities and politicians are very active on twitter.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

I feel like the problem though is that many of the important members of society/members of society that feed others such as journalists, celebrities and politicians are very active on twitter.

I think it also influences narrative in the mainstream media more than any other platform.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The vast majority of people in the world don’t use Twitter. I can’t help but think this isn’t that big a deal and won’t affect most people.

Facebook is a far bigger problem.

Facebook’s dying on its arse though. So hopefully won’t be a problem much longer.

 

[esmufc07]

Facebook’s dying on its arse though. So hopefully won’t be a problem much longer.

Hope you are right. I deleted it a couple of years ago and haven’t missed it at all.

 

[Denis79]

As if there isn't enough rubbish spewed on Twitter already.

Return of Trump is going to be entertaining.

 

[RoyH1]

The vast majority of people in the world don’t use Twitter. I can’t help but think this isn’t that big a deal and won’t affect most people.

Facebook is a far bigger problem.

But I think that's exactly what he's going to change. I can see him doing some radical changes to twitter to bring it right up there with FB in popularity.

Plus like @SilentWitness said, "important" people that push policy and media narratives forward are all on Twitter. A lot of stuff gets started there.

 

[Cloud7]

Twitter is my favorite social media platform. I can’t see much good coming of this move.

 

[Withnail]

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— Twitter API (@user) date

Jaysus

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Hope you are right. I deleted it a couple of years ago and haven’t missed it at all.

Same. Probably close to 10 years ago. It’s amazing how little you miss it. I did the same to Twitter and didn’t miss it either. Got sucked back in due to covid. Must delete it again. It adds nothing good to my life. Musk taking ownership would be the perfect time.

 

[Boycott]

But I think that's exactly what he's going to change. I can see him doing some radical changes to twitter to bring it right up there with FB in popularity.

Plus like @SilentWitness said, "important" people that push policy and media narratives forward are all on Twitter. A lot of stuff gets started there.

That's not going to happen unless it fundamentally revamps the purpose of twitter.

You have to take into account that facebook is and always has been primarily a place to keep in touch with your family and friends (and potential friends) on a level that is personal to you. Similarly if you're looking for news or services on a local level facebook provides that. Twitter does not because their network is about putting everyone who uses it in one big open level where nothing is local or personal. That encourages anonymity in a way facebook does not.

 

[The Corinthian]

Some good news: Jameela Jamil has quit Twitter due to Musk buying it.

 

[The Firestarter]

Some good news: Jameela Jamil has quit Twitter due to Musk buying it.

It was a bad place for her.

 

[Arruda]

Same. Probably close to 10 years ago. It’s amazing how little you miss it. I did the same to Twitter and didn’t miss it either. Got sucked back in due to covid. Must delete it again. It adds nothing good to my life. Musk taking ownership would be the perfect time.

I don't use twitter and will delete my account immediately, if just for symbolic gesture, like a "vote".

Always wanted to do the same with facebook, although I find it impossible to replace some of the content, which is local stuff. Local politics, local smallish events I might be interested in, etc. The sort of thing I'd probably not miss if it wasn't already there, but most my attempts at quitting have been cancelled by simple questions such as "where's the main party tonight". Even for professional stuff I find some uses, resident groups that share important information, etc.

If only I could just get rid of the global/national/commercial stuff.

Also it gets progressively worse every day. If you haven't been for 10 years you'd find it worse. Every three posts is an ad now. Every other three posts is some 15-minute celebrity girl half my age just shilling off revealing clothes, something I'm not into. I think it's their attempt at tik-toking.

Any lousy porn site can get my fetishes right in minutes, facebook just shoves stupid stuff down your throat even with all the data they have.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

Hope you are right. I deleted it a couple of years ago and haven’t missed it at all.

As much as I'd love to do the same, so many things in my life are reliant on me having an account there.
Message groups, event stuff, work stuff. Even my football team organizes everything through Facebook. I think the platform is dying as well, but I'm really curious to what platform will take over. There are plenty of bad things about Facebook, but the actual "organizing social things for real life purposes" are pretty neat, and I'm yet to see a platform that does it as well as FB does. Sadly.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Billionaire tax likely scared him in to this, considering he bizarrely actually has no money.
Like Maxwell and Murdoch, a rich man wants to control the narrative. Expect Trump will be back with a bang, and there will be a full attack on anyone suggesting billionaire tax is a good idea

 

[nimic]

The vast majority of people in the world don’t use Twitter. I can’t help but think this isn’t that big a deal and won’t affect most people.

Facebook is a far bigger problem.

Facebook and YouTube are far, far more responsible for online radicalization than Twitter is. It's not even remotely close.

Still, Musk owning Twitter can't be good.

 

[Tarrou]

as much as i think he's a massive twat I think the most likely outcome here is he'll make it better

he has a good track-record in business and knows how to drive value, to do that he needs to make the user experience better

to the people saying he'll ruin Twitter, I actually don't think there is much of value to humanity for Elon to destroy?

I find it useful for following a few decent crypto accounts but other than that I find it an appalling place

it's already a cess-spit, there isn't much further to drop

 

[Blood Mage]

Can't wait for him to allow the likes of Trump, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and other fringe nutters back onto the platform and give them free reign to weaponize it as they did before they got the boot. A potential body blow for democracy this.

 

[Lecland07]

Don't know why people are saying it will get worse. It is a complete cesspit of crap and time wasting.

It will either get better or crash and burn. Either way is a better result than the current status.

 

[Fearless]

Can't wait for him to allow the likes of Trump, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and other fringe nutters back onto the platform and give them free reign to weaponize it as they did before they got the boot. A potential body blow for democracy this.

The irony.

 

[Relfy]

For someone with the spare $44 billion kicking about, why choose to buy Twitter when that money could quite literally be used to transform the planet and fix so many issues? Didn't he agree to donate $6 billion to the UN to fix world hunger and do nothing about it? Billionaires probably have to be cnuts to become a billionaire, but at least be a good cnut and do something with that obscene amount of money.

The obsession and pandering to these rich folk has always been odd to me.

 

[Fearless]

For someone with the spare $44 billion kicking about, why choose to buy Twitter when that money could quite literally be used to transform the planet and fix so many issues? Didn't he agree to donate $6 billion to the UN to fix world hunger and do nothing about it? Billionaires probably have to be cnuts to become a billionaire, but at least be a good cnut and do something with that obscene amount of money.

The obsession and pandering to these rich folk has always been odd to me.

https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/elon-musks-philanthropy-and-donor-privacy/

 

[Penna]

For someone with the spare $44 billion kicking about, why choose to buy Twitter when that money could quite literally be used to transform the planet and fix so many issues? Didn't he agree to donate $6 billion to the UN to fix world hunger and do nothing about it? Billionaires probably have to be cnuts to become a billionaire, but at least be a good cnut and do something with that obscene amount of money.

The obsession and pandering to these rich folk has always been odd to me.

I was thinking the same this morning. So much money, it's hard to imagine how much good that could do in developing countries. My first priority would be safe and accessible drinking water for as many people as possible.

 

[nimic]

https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/elon-musks-philanthropy-and-donor-privacy/

That doesn't change his point. For $44 billion, he could change an incredible amount of lives forever. Or he could own Twitter to shit on Bill Gates.

A billionaire giving to charity isn't laudable and it's not impressive, it's the very least we could expect.

 

[MTF]

He doesn't have the $44 billion in cash where he could arguably do anything with it... just one thing to note.

 

[GDaly95]

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meow

 

[Abizzz]

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meow

I'm sure the genius at specsavers was the only person in the world thinking "what else could you buy with 44 billion".

 

[marktan]

For someone with the spare $44 billion kicking about, why choose to buy Twitter when that money could quite literally be used to transform the planet and fix so many issues? Didn't he agree to donate $6 billion to the UN to fix world hunger and do nothing about it? Billionaires probably have to be cnuts to become a billionaire, but at least be a good cnut and do something with that obscene amount of money.

The obsession and pandering to these rich folk has always been odd to me.

None of it is spare cash, he's using his equity in Tesla and/or SpaceX, and taking loans using his equity as collateral too. Providing the total value of Twitter goes up if he manages to increase its metrics, it's a very tax efficient way of increasing his wealth and diversifying. Rich people do this all the time, instead of selling stock which they'd then have to pay capital gains tax on, they just take loans using the stock as collateral.

In essence yeah you're right he could do a lot more with the money, but rich people who've spent their whole lives chasing money tend to continue to do that until the end.

 

[nimic]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

meow

If there's anything I hate more than billionaires owning media companies, it's corporations using social media like they're real people.

It's the worst.

 

[Kristjan]

Musk is a twat but his fanboys are the worst, or close to.
Musk fanboys are just one step above Trump cultists.

 

[utdalltheway]

I see a bunch of tweets saying different things: such as the libs that are going to leave once Musk takes over and presumably let’s Trump back on. Then there’s another crowd that says they’ll stay to continue the fight for what’s right.
I could see the value in leaving; I mean who’d want to spend their day arguing with cultists. You’d be drained and it’s not like you’d convince any of them to change. Do they think they could influence others?
Dan Bongnino and MTG would be back on there crowing too. Who’d want to stick around for that shitshow?

 

[Simbo]

Is it just his talk about 'free speech' that makes people think he is letting Trump back on?

 

[Mr Pigeon]

If there's anything I hate more than billionaires owning media companies, it's corporations using social media like they're real people.

It's the worst.

Absolutely nimic, it's just not on.

- PidgeCorp

 

[Raoul]

I see a bunch of tweets saying different things: such as the libs that are going to leave once Musk takes over and presumably let’s Trump back on. Then there’s another crowd that says they’ll stay to continue the fight for what’s right.
I could see the value in leaving; I mean who’d want to spend their day arguing with cultists. You’d be drained and it’s not like you’d convince any of them to change. Do they think they could influence others?
Dan Bongnino and MTG would be back on there crowing too. Who’d want to stick around for that shitshow?

Zero doubt that if Elon acts the fool, many will leave and a new Twitter like service will be started to gradually replace it.

He's also going to be under intense pressure to not influence the platform for fear of losing business with Tesla and SpaceX, not to mention Bezos' contention that the Chinese may wield pressure over Musk given the Tesla supply chain.

In the end, this could end up a giant headache for Musk if he opts to behave like an infantile meme lord instead of a vaguely rational owner with a coherent vision the public can buy into.