Elon Musk is no stranger to the social media sphere, especially since his tweets are as famous as the man himself. Now, the billionaire said that he is giving “serious thought” to building a new social media platform.
Social media has become an important part of our lives today, and its importance cannot be denied. They help people stay in touch with old friends, remain updated with what happens across the globe, and champion causes that are left out by mainstream media. However, not all are roses and sunshine, as they are often toxic and lead to individuals either quitting the platform due to trolling or abuse and even committing suicide.
The modern social media landscape is dominated by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and others, who earn tons in revenue. .
The social media sphere has gained new entrants in recent times, though, with Donald Trump’s Truth Social counting the most number of downloads (of free apps) on Apple’s App Store last month. Alternative platforms such as Gettr, Parler, and video site Rumble have also come up to get a slice of the pie, though they are yet to reach the popularity and reach of mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, which have been around for a long time.
This decision by Musk comes after the CEO of Tesla was asked by a Twitter user whether he would consider building a new social media platform that would consist of an open-source algorithm, prioritize free speech, and with “very” minimal propaganda.
Musk himself has been a strong critic of Twitter and has been censorious of the platform and its policies in recent times. On Saturday, he took to Twitter and asked what should be done, given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, fails to adhere to free speech principles, and thus fundamentally undermines democracy.
The Technoking of Tesla also put out a poll asking if Twitter rigorously adhered to the following principle – “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.” Musk added that the consequences of the poll would be important and warned the voters to cote carefully.
The result? 70.4% voted for “No,” while only 29.6% voted for “Yes.”
Does this mean we will soon see Musk rolling out a new platform with everything that current social media platforms promised to give but failed to deliver? Or will he buy Twitter itself, as many of his followers asked him to? The second option is more unlikely, but this is Elon Musk we are talking about (whose tweets have landed him in trouble earlier), so don’t count that off.
