Elon Musk and the Wrath of Twitter

 Elon Musk is Loosening Content Moderation on Twitter? Oh No....

“Stop allowing people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions. Stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others.”- Dr. Steve Maraboli.

A totalitarian government, and anarchy, a communist nation divided by the strands of politics; these dystopias scattered across the world are all rooted from a common apparatus; government. A democracy, one’s ‘ideal’ government is one that is bound by the roots of dignity and unity not for singular people and their gains, but for a nation as a whole, through amendments and constitutions. The first amendment is amongst this, and contendably the singular most pivotal element of our constitution, yet it receives the most backlash. People have their own freedom of speech, their own ability to speak out against anything and everything their heart perceives valid. Yet the concept of freedom is bordered by a fence charged with multiple million volts, and for the people who choose to jump the fence, ‘cross the line’ so to speak, freedom can prove to be quite hazardous. For this our first amendment has its own limitations, defacing incitement, defamation, fraud, obscenity, fighting words, and threats to be intolerable under all circumstances. With social media as quintessential in our pallet of communication as verbosity, it is but a commodity to incorporate it under these regulations and limitations. Speech must be moderated on social media at all costs by all measures, or the effects running rampant will be dastardly like no other.

However, with the vagueness at which this is presented, the question really boils down to What shouldn’t people be allowed to post? What punishment should ensue as a result? Clearly, as the first amendment and the confines only of its limitations are the utmost priority to all people, we must stick by it. Yet if these regulations are slandered by the common social media user, the 8th amendment must also come into play; the opposition to cruel and unusual punishment of any form deemed by the mass populus. Yet simply by banning someone from social media as a result from them cybernetically ending someone’s life isn’t the commendable approach; it is merely banishing people from one modus operandi through which they can obscure the world around them, and just like criminals in the real world, they can always find another way. Instead, depending on severity, that user should be locked away behind bars for an indefinite amount of time. After all, hasn’t corporal punishment been an end-all be-all means of executing justice for centuries prior? A screen doesn’t conceal the blemishes unfurled upon society, and neither should it for the consequences.

However, with all this, there is a plentitude of risk concerning the idea. For one, backlash from the people, as expected and as can be dealt with. In addition, it could cause the amount of users using that social media platform to plunge into frigidity, leading to large corporations suffering losses larger than their egos. Yet, with these fine constraints, people will finally be able to watch their tongues and fingers, and truly think upon acting. Isn’t that the greater purpose here? With billions in their pockets and social awareness their top priority, wouldn’t it be benefactory for individuals such as Mr. Musk to congregate their abilities into exterminating cyber-malice, despite the loss of income it may reap? In addition, according to Anand Ghiridhararas from the New York Times, Twitter has a problem with almost all of the world’s leading issues, a large charcoal block leading the flames of social deprivation from a mere spark to crumbling, ashy ruins. Loosening content moderation will only cause the entitlement of such mindless users to balloon in horizon, and at that point, Mr. Musks' newly found job as owner of Twitter will dissipate like Thanos reincarnated, and the new era of disoriented, cretinous social media users masquerading under online discretion will take over the world, one by one, like ants let out from their hill.

But, to say the least, that would be jumping the gun. For the time being, with his new incorporation of Twitter added to his reservoir of failed accomplishments, was this choice from Elon Musk really that credulous? Knowing Mr. Musk and his fanaticism for optimizations, he will likely be making drastic alterations. Whether those changes will be for the better or the worse, only time can tell. Yet by potentially even thinking about loosening Twitter’s content moderation rather than going in stark contrast, that, in breach of everyone and everything Twitter can and has affected, is frankly mortifying. Elon Musk has half the world wired like puppets. Will he ease the strings and see the tides of time play out? Or will he grip his rigid fingers and morph the course of humanity with one decision, forever…