The Twitter takeover is not intended to make money, Musk said in an interview with TED tonight. “I’m not interested in money,” said the entrepreneur. According to him, the platform is important for ‘the future of human civilization’.
If the takeover attempt fails, Musk says he has a ‘Plan B’, but what that means is not yet known. It is clear what Musk wants to change at Twitter. An overview of his proposals.
More freedom of expression
Elon Musk is a big in favor of unfettered freedom of expression. The businessman has often pointed out that Twitter would restrict expression too much. One of the biggest changes he would make is a less strict moderation policy.
According to Musk, that should lead to a more open debate on the platform, which he compare with a public village square where everyone should be able to express their opinion. The businessman claims that if the platform does not meet that condition, it fundamentally undermines democracy. Twitter should be “a public platform that can be completely trusted,” he said. “That’s very important for the future of human civilization,” Musk said in an interview with TED.
There is also criticism of Musk’s proposal. Opponents say the move could lead to more misinformation, extreme posts and trolling.
edit button
Another change the Musk want to enter is an edit button. Musk asked in a poll on April 5 whether users would like such a feature. According to him, that edit button should only be available for a limited time after posting a tweet. Also, a link should be added that shows the change, so that the feature can be abused less easily.
Interestingly enough, Twitter has been working on such an edit button for some time now. Company tweeted been working on it since last year.
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Make algorithm open source
Because Musk believes Twitter has a major influence on public debate, he wants the company’s algorithm open-source want to make. He also wants to do this because he suspects that the algorithm is biased, with certain sources being shown more often than others. For example, certain sides of a story would be underexposed.
Musk then asked himself openly wonder whether it is even possible to know ‘what is really going on’. While proponents like Musk believe that an open-source algorithm should lead to people being exposed to differing opinions, others precisely that it can then be better misused to spread misinformation and fake news.
No more ads
The public debate is not only influenced by the algorithm, according to Musk. Advertisements would also play a role in this. For that reason, Musk wants to ensure that Twitter becomes ad-free.
In a tweet that has since been deleted, Musk said “the power corporations have to dictate public policy is great when Twitter relies on ads for its survival.”
The subscription model is preferred by Musk. Twitter already offers a monthly subscription in four countries, Twitter Bluewhich gives users access to premium features.
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More check marks
One of the benefits that Twitter Blue users according to Musk should get is a special checkmark. These are already being distributed to certain accounts, to show that the people have been verified. Check marks are mainly distributed to public figures such as politicians and celebrities.
Under Musk’s reign, all Twitter Blue users would get such a checkmark. Those should look different than check marks for official accounts. To get a Twitter Blue check, users would have to pay for a year in advance. Also, users would only receive it after sixty days.
Tackling bots
More check marks would be there according to Musk also make sure that bots, spammers and banned people can’t just create an account again. Musk’s name is often used by spam accounts to run cryptocurrency-related scams.
The entrepreneur calls that “the most annoying problem on Twitter.” By verifying people and proving that they are a real person, Musk hopes to curb those bots. It would also become too expensive to operate a botnet.
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Pay with Dogecoin
Twitter Blue currently costs $2.99 per month. Musk would like to make that price lower and, moreover, depending on the region where a person lives. For example, the price in poorer countries can be lower.
He also wants to offer new payment options. The most notable of these is Dogecoin, the crypto coin that started as a joke where Elon Musk has been for some time trailer of is. In a tweet the businessman openly questioned whether Twitter Blue subscriptions could be paid with Dogecoin.
It wouldn’t be the first time Musk has accepted Dogecoin payments for its companies. Since last year it is possible to buy Tesla fan items with the cryptocurrency. Also said Musk that he wanted to finance a moon mission with the Dogecoin with his space company SpaceX.
No more NFT profile pictures
Although Musk seems to be a supporter of the crypto world, he has nothing to do with NFT’s, the digital property deeds used for the sale of virtual objects. When Twitter announced early this year that users can use NFTs as their profile pictures, uttered Musk his displeasure.
“Twitter is devoting tech resources to this nonsense, while crypto crooks are throwing a spambot party in every thread,” he said at the time. Musk is a big criticaster of all Web3-related matters, a term he called “bullshit” in December. The chance that Musk would delete NFT profile photos after a possible takeover is therefore high.
Poll: Is a Musk Acquisition Good for Twitter?
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