It didn’t take long. Since Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, he has faced boycotts from celebrities, lawmakers and advertisers worried about how the social network will change under his leadership, despite many conservatives’ disapproval of Twitter. Happy with this.
Senator Amy Klobuchar expressed deep concern. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last Sunday if she trusted Musk, who now runs Twitter, she replied: “No, I’m not. Do not believe.”
The Minnesota Democrat wants to increase content censorship and reduce immunity for social networks that amplify hate speech.
Referring to the man who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband this week, she said, “He’s making anti-Semitic posts, he’s making violent memes, and all these election denials, support for special Trump, MAGA group remarks[特朗普竞选口号“让美国再次伟大”（Make America Great Again，简称MAGA）]That’s what we’re going to solve…I just don’t think people should be making money by spreading these lies. “
She noted that TV networks must screen for false information before running ads, but there is no similar requirement for companies like Twitter.
“We have to change the requirements for these companies,” she said. “They’re making money off of us. They’re using this violence to make money.”
‘Scary swearing’ tweets
Meanwhile, NBA star LeBron James tweeted yesterday that this “horrible swearing” use of the N-word since Musk took over Twitter surged, adding that he expects Musk “and his team to take this very seriously.”
I don’t know Elon Musk and honestly I don’t care who owns Twitter at all. But what I’m saying is, if it’s true, I hope he and his team take this seriously, because it’s horrible swearing. So many damn incompetent people saying hate speech is free speech.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 29, 2022
Previously, the Network Contagion Research institute, a social media research firm, reported a 500% spike in the use of “niggers” on Twitter in the 12 hours after Musk took power.
There is evidence that outlaws are trying to test the limits of @Twitter. Some posts on 4chan encouraged users to amplify derogatory slurs.
According to data from Dataminr, which also analyzes social media, there has also been a surge in anti-Semitic memes, as has the term “plandemic” — short for a conspiracy theory that refers to elites, according to Bloomberg. Use the outbreak to gain more power and profit from vaccines.
In response to James’ complaint, Musk shared a tweet from a Twitter employee that read: “Almost all of these accounts are fake accounts. We have taken action to ban users who participated in this malicious activity and will We continue to work hard to address this issue and make the Twitter platform safer and more popular.”
But some powerful Hollywood figures have decided to leave Twitter. Yesterday, Shonda Rhimes, the writer, producer and writer on hit shows like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, tweeted that she was leaving The platform, her tweet was simple: “No matter what Elon’s plans, I’m not staying here. Goodbye.”
“This Is Us” executive producer Ken Olin tweeted on Friday: “I’m leaving the platform.”
‘Free speech absolutists’
Of course, many conservatives and lawmakers are happy to see that Democratic lawmakers and Hollywood elites are unhappy with Musk’s takeover of Twitter, who have long felt, like Musk himself, that the social network’s moderation is too strict and repressive.
“Free speech. Liberals in tears,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan tweeted Friday. Jordan was a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, whose account was banned by Twitter’s previous leadership, and Musk may welcome him back.
Trump himself wrote on his own social platform, Truth social (Twitter’s competitor): “I am very happy that the current power of Twitter is very sane, no longer by the radical left lunatics and fanatics who hate our country. operate.”
Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas told Fox News on Friday: “I think Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is one of the most significant developments in free speech in modern times. one.”
On Saturday, podcast host Joe Rogan praised Musk — a self-described “absolutist of free speech” — as Musk wants to restore a “reasonable exchange of ideas” on the platform.
“I think there’s a real problem with what we’re saying on Twitter,” he added. “What some people want to do is silence those who hold the opposite view and then get positive feedback from everyone who agrees with you.”
When the Twitter takeover drama began this spring, Musk tweeted: “When I say ‘free speech,’ I only mean speech that complies with the law. I oppose censorship that goes far beyond the law. If People want to restrict freedom of speech, they will ask the government to pass relevant laws. So censorship that goes beyond the law is against the will of the people.”
“To be very clear, we have not made any changes to Twitter’s content moderation policy,” Musk tweeted on Friday, adding, “Twitter will assemble a broad and diverse set of content. Moderation committee. No major content decisions and no account reinstatements will occur until this committee meets.”
A day earlier, he hurriedly assured advertisers on Twitter that the platform would not become “a hell where people can do whatever they want.”
But not everyone was convinced by his claims.
General Motors said it would suspend advertising on Twitter, adding, “We are engaging with Twitter to understand where the platform is headed under our new owners.”
Translator: Zhonghuiyan – Wang Fang
That didn’t take long. It’s been four days since Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, and already he’s facing pushback from celebrities, lawmakers, and advertisers worried about how the social network will change under his leadership, even as many conservative voices rejoice.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is among those voicing concerns. Asked Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press whether she trusts Musk now that he runs Twitter, she replied, “No, I do not.”
The Minnesota Democrat wants more content moderation and less immunity for social networks that amplify hate speech.
Referring to the man who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband this week, she said, “He was posting antisemitic tropes, he was showing memes that showed violence and all of this election-denying, pro-Trump, MAGA-crowd rhetoric. That’s what we’re dealing with here…I just don’t think people should be making money off of passing on this stuff that’s a bunch of lies.”
Noting that TV networks have to screen commercials for false information before they air, she said companies like Twitter do not face similar requirements.
”We have to change the requirements on these companies,” she said. “They’re making money off of us. They’re making money off of this violence.”
‘Scary AF’ tweets
Meanwhile NBA star LeBron James tweeted yesterday that the surge in N-word use on Twitter since Musk’s takeover was “scary AF,” and added that he hoped Musk “and his people take this very seriously.”
I dont know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns twitter. But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech. https://t.co/Sy0jvXIBnC
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 29, 2022
That followed the Network Contagion Research Institute—a social media research firm—reporting that use on the N-word spiked 500% on Twitter in the 12 hours after Musk took control.
Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on @Twitter. Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.
Antisemitic memes also jumped, and so did the word “plandemic”—shorthand for a conspiracy theory in which elites are using the pandemic to gain power and profit off vaccines—according to Dataminr, which also analyzes social media, Bloomberg reported.
In response to James’ complaint, Musk shared a tweet from a Twitter employee reading, “Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign — and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone.”
But some Hollywood power players have already decided to leave Twitter. Yesterday Shonda Rhimes, the TV screenwriter, producer, and author behind hit shows like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, tweeted that she would be leaving the platform, writing simply: “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.”
That followed This Is Us executive producer Ken Olin tweeting Friday, “I’m out of here.”
‘Free-speech absolutist’
Of course, many conservative pundits and lawmakers are delighted that Democratic lawmakers and Hollywood elites are upset with Musk’s Twitter takeover, having long believed—like Musk himself—that the social network was overly strict and suppressive.
“Free speech. Liberal tears,” tweeted Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on Friday. Jordan is strong ally of former President Donald Trump, who the previous leadership of Twitter banned from the platform—and who Musk might welcome back.
Trump himself wrote on his rival social platform Truth Social: “I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs that truly hate our country.”
Meanwhile Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News on Friday: “I think Elon Musk buying Twitter is one of the most significant developments for free speech in modern times.”
Podcaster Joe Rogan, for his part, on Saturday praised Musk—a self-described “free-speech absolutist”—for wanting to restore a “reasonable exchange of ideas” on the platform.
“I think we have a real problem with discourse on Twitter,” he added. “What some would like to do is silence those that have opposing viewpoints, and then you get all this positive feedback from all the people that agree with you.”
This spring, when the Twitter takeover drama began, Musk tweeted: “By ‘free speech’, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.”
On Friday, Musk tweeted, “To be super clear, we have not yet made any changes to Twitter’s content moderation policies,” adding, “Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.”
A day earlier, he rushed to reassure advertisers on Twitter that the platform wouldn’t become a “free-for-all hellscape.”
Not all of them are convinced, yet.
General Motors said it would temporarily pause advertising on Twitter, adding, “We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership.”