Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover Sparks Concern About Company's Future
Newsy
Some experts are concerned Musk's new leadership could lead to increased unsavory content on Twitter.
After months of trying to back out from a deal to buy Twitter, Elon Musk is officially moving forward with the acquisition. It's still unclear what direction the company could head under his leadership - but some experts are concerned it could lead to increased unsavory content.
Those worries stem from Musk's comments on how speech should be moderated with a light touch on social media. Musk tried to allay those concerns in a Tweet, saying: "Twitter cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences." But reports also indicate that Musk may cut Twitter's staffing by up to 75%, which experts say will likely have a large impact on moderating harmful content.
"I think there's a very realistic danger of the incremental progress that Twitter has made in civilizing the site being rolled back, if Elon Musk comes in and is running the place day to day," said New York University Deputy Director of the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights Paul Barrett. "I think you would end up seeing it move toward an environment like Parler or Gab, where the worst of internet discourse comes to predominate."
