The internet is buzzing with conjecture and expert opinions following Elon Musk’s massive Twitter acquisition, but the truth is that it is difficult to forecast exactly where the social networking site will go.
In the last few weeks, Musk has made a lot of bold promises about how to improve Twitter. Most of these promises have certain conditions attached to them, but they are still very important.
A campaign for free expression is at the top of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter makeover agenda. Musk has stated unequivocally that he is unconcerned with the economics of his almost $44 billion acquisition. He openly declared during his April TED interview that free speech is critical for the continuation of civilisation and that he will do everything possible to transform Twitter into a town square where free speech is prized above all else.
Nevertheless, free speech is a fine line that requires both balanced moderation and adherence to local regulations around the world. Free speech absolutism is a major worry raised by experts, as it entails enabling content on the platform from all sides of an ideology to thrive. But reconciling reasonable criticism in the US with seditious criticism in regimes that tightly control citizen expression would be a nightmare. Violence against one group might be unleashed by self-defence arguments.
With the adoption of a completely unrestricted approach to free expression, Twitter will have to either increase its content monitoring or risk reversing the progress that it has made in recent times. According to Reuters, Musk told bankers that he would implement cost-cutting initiatives in order to lead Twitter into fat revenues. And that most emphatically does not sound like an attempt to beef up moderation resources.
Musk’s supporters are well-known for abusing the right to free speech. Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s legal chief, is the latest example of the “Musk Bros” hounding someone who merely drew Musk’s ire. A science reporter, Erin Biba, first reported on the harassment and online abuse directed against Musk enthusiasts in 2018.
In an effort to increase transparency, Musk has also pledged an open-source algorithm as part of his vision for Twitter. Informing users about how the content algorithm works and how content is pushed into their stream is a positive start. However, just open-sourcing the algorithm does not explain how the algorithms actually function, who built them, why certain content is prioritised, or the AI biases that may have snuck in during the training process. It also exposes the platform’s codebase, giving hackers a close look at exploitable weaknesses. Furthermore, by open-sourcing the algorithm, malicious people will be able to build more complex strategies for manipulating the entire system via bots. In other words, an open-source Twitter will provide millions of its users with a double dose of challenges.
Musk has often stated that eradicating the threat posed by spamming bots is a top goal. However, there is more than one algorithm at work here. According to a WIRED story, Twitter populates the feed with content using a web of multiple algorithms trained on a massive quantity of data and user-specific behavioural patterns. Twitter’s socio-technical system takes various measures to account for its users’ real-time activity.
Musk has also shown interest in encrypting Twitter direct messages end-to-end. While this is a significant improvement in terms of user privacy and security, implementing it will not be easy. Twitter has risen to prominence as a medium buzzing with law enforcement activity in response to problematic conduct such as hate speech and violence.
Putting a layer of encryption between direct messages and their recipients will be a compromise in terms of legality, in exchange for increased privacy. Musk apparently had ideas to monetise Twitter, including promoting subscription services and charging for tweets, particularly those placed on third-party websites. Twitter already offers a subscription service, but charging users for access to premium services is not the same as charging them for viewing a tweet.
Clearly, Elon Musk’s intentions for Twitter have the potential to transform the site significantly, but it will not be easy.
