Elon Musk, does that mean anything to you? 🚗🚀
The billionaire has just bought the social network Twitter, for the sum of 44 billion (yes, yes! đź’µ) US dollars!
Why are we talking about it so much? And will it have an impact on the users of the platform?
$44 billion for the blue bird
Multi-billionaire Elon Musk bought social network Twitter earlier this week. The social network accepted Musk’s offer for US$44 billion.
The little history of Twitter
Twitter is an American social network that was created in 2006. Users can write tweets (or gazouillis, in French) of no more than 280 characters. Twitter is a favorite network of politicians, journalists, activists and researchers.
Who is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is a household name. He is currently the richest man on Earth, according to the magazine Forbes, with a fortune estimated at more than 200 billion dollars. He is the big boss of the electric car company Tesla, as well as the founder of SpaceXan aeronautical company.
Musk and free speech
On numerous occasions, Elon Musk has criticized Twitter for freedom of expression. He judges that the moderation is too severe, therefore that we delete too quickly tweets or accounts. Many people thought he would allow the return to Twitter of former US President Donald Trump, who was banned from the social network in January 2021.
A pot of misinformation?
Some media experts fear the arrival of Elon Musk at the head of Twitter. They think that less severe moderation of the platform’s accounts could increase the number of fake news circulating there. Elon Musk has already circulated several fake news from his Twitter account.
What’s the difference?
Several people and human rights groups are worried about the power that Elon Musk will have. This is particularly the case of Amnesty International, which fears the measures that Twitter could take to weaken the enforcement of policies and mechanisms designed to protect users
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Potential changes
Along with possible changes to how content is moderated on Twitter, Elon Musk offered several ideas for the network. Some changes include the addition of a button to edit previously posted tweets and changes to Twitter’s paid plan.
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