OPINION: Twitter is about to become the great hope for the preservation of democracy under the intrepid leadership of Elon Musk. And we’re all excited for that right? Like, as excited as we are for Donald Trump’s account to be imminently unblocked. Yay!
However, part of that wondrous vision for enhancing free speech will actually have to make some money for the grand benevolent master of the EV. After all, he is about to pay $44 billion on the pet project. The bill might come through the letterbox at some point.
So, if you’re a news organisation wanting to spread some of those big ideas posted on the ‘big Twitter town square arena hall’ (or whatever he likes to call it), surely it’s only right you pay for spreading information already in the public realm.
That would ensure Elon gets something in return for a purchase, as well thought-out as a vindaloo before a transatlantic flight.
When you think about it, it’s just the price news organisations, reporters, and bloggers should pay for doing their part in saving humanity from whatever threat Musk perceives Twitter, under his leadership, can solve. Whether that’s his culture war here on Earth or, a new one on the Martian surface, where we’re totally going to be living before 2030.
You simply can’t expect something posted on a public forum to be available for free, in its native form, without paying the bloke who didn’t author it, right?
A Reuters report on Friday outlined some potential ideas Musk may or may not have raised at a meeting with bankers. Those lads definitely have a vested interest in how Twitter is going to actually make money, now it’s privately owned; something Musk doesn’t really have a grasp on yet.
As he said in that TED interview a few weeks back: “I’m like, literally, on the toilet like, ‘oh, this is funny,’ and then tweet that out, you know?”
“Musk told the banks he also plans to develop features to grow business revenue, including new ways to make money out of tweets that contain important information or go viral, the sources said.”
“Ideas he brought up included charging a fee when a third-party website wants to quote or embed a tweet from verified individuals or organisations.”
Reuters
That’s a far cry from Musk’s sentiment upon securing a $44 billion deal to grab the publicly owned company to take it private and make it more democratic. Remember, folks, having one dude in charge of everything instead of having to listen to millions of stakeholders is totally how democracy works.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” he said little more than a week ago.
So, reportedly, if you want access to that town square where the future of humanity is debated, you may have to actually be on Twitter. Otherwise, that free speech may be restricted, unless someone pays Elon Musk money to unlock and embed it.
According to the report, that great idea, posted by someone else, is now Elon Musk’s property to sell. Perhaps the scheme, if it was proposed as reported, will ensure the originator gets a cut too? Who knows? Not the owner of the company, that’s for sure.
Here’s a tweet to bear in mind, which we still can embed without Musk charging us for the privilege. For now.
Elsewhere, reports have also suggested Musk wants to cut jobs and just get influencers to spread the gospel instead. Going well so far, isn’t it? I’m STOKED.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
