LThe possible takeover of Twitter by libertarian billionaire Elon Musk is causing controversy. The most ardent defenders of freedom of expression dream of a platform free of censorship. On the contrary, supporters of online content moderation are worried: Twitter is already a place of extreme violence, contaminated by false information and the apology of the darkest ideas. It is also on Twitter that the most radical activists (of all political or ideological persuasions) engage in “picrocholine wars”. Point interviewed sociologist Gérald Bronner, author of the report Enlightenment in the digital age (2022). Here are his impressions and his ways to appease social networks.
Point : Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter. Why are free speech advocates rejoicing so much?
Gerald Bronner: Social networks are vectors of freedom. We have seen this in recent history, especially with the Arab Spring and especially in Tunisia where Facebook has played a role. We see it again with the war in Ukraine: it is not for nothing that Russia blocked Facebook and restricted access to Twitter.
This possible takeover also generates serious concerns. Why ?
The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk, a personality who claims to be a libertarian, is somewhat worrying. Libertarianism is an ideology that defends the idea that the expression of freedom is always good. According to its proponents, total freedom of expression would even lead to a society of harmony. But this is not at all what we observe… The expression of freedom without any framework becomes draconian. This is an old theme of political philosophy that Thomas Hobbes, in Leviathan, had well underlined. The rules, standards and laws are there to frame the freedom of others in order to preserve mine.
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What can we fear with Elon Musk at the helm of Twitter?
We can fear that Elon Musk will lighten the moderation. A study shows that there is a collective indignation every two days on this network. We can’t imagine that lifting moderation will improve things… In Europe, we may be less concerned, because the Digital Services Act will restrict digital platforms more strongly than today.
Perhaps we will witness the return of the banished Donald Trump…
Yes, the return of Donald Trump is a hypothesis. We can also imagine that the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk is – among other things – motivated by the banishment of the former President of the United States, following the events on Capitol Hill in Washington in January 2021.
What are the acceptable limits to freedom of expression on Twitter?
The law. In France, we have neither the right to question the existence of the gas chambers, nor to utter racist or homophobic insults, nor to harass. Elon Musk tweeted that he would obey the law. However, I can’t imagine the new boss of Twitter making this social network a more virtuous platform. The question being, in times of pandemic, what should be done against false information concerning, for example, vaccines…
Sociologists are much more enraged on Twitter than in academic circles.
Twitter is more like a rat race…
Yes, and maybe even more here. Twitter France has 11 million active users. There are many activists, often radicals, and many journalists. Here is the danger: journalists, whatever they say about it, can be impressed by the false sampling of reality that Twitter offers with its conflictuality, its outbursts and its radicalism. Perhaps this sampling distorts part of the reality in information processing. Twitter is not the pulse of opinion.
What is the pulse, then?
It is the pulse of the most radical who engage in picrocholine wars. I see it myself in my discipline, sociology. The sociologists who express themselves on Twitter are not necessarily representative of French sociology. I do not systematize, but it must be recognized that they generally defend radical points of view. They are much more enraged than in academic circles. Similarly, wokism is much more present on Twitter than in real life. Twitter is a distorting and grimacing mirror that can deceive the editorialization of journalists.
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How to appease Twitter?
We could start by limiting the visibility bonus to “super-users”. They are 1% of active accounts, but produce 33% of content! We could editorialize more on the sincerity of the information, rather than on its spectacular character. We know that on Facebook, there was a time when messages with the “anger” emoticon had five times more visibility than those with the “like” emoticon. The algorithm gives a bonus to annoying messages. Why ? The more we are angry, the more we argue. The more we argue, the longer we stay on the social network. The longer you stay, the more you are exposed to advertising, which generates revenue. The fundamental equation is to balance the economic interests of these companies with the higher interest of democracy. It now remains to convince the Gafam…
You are a well-known French intellectual but… you don’t have Twitter!
Nope ! The world of Twitter appears filled with « haters » (hateful, editor’s note) and I don’t want to confront that. I feel much more digitally safe on Facebook, where I can better editorialize my page and isolate hateful content.
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