Let’s cut through the bullshit and get to the heart of what Elon Musk is doing with X, formerly known as Twitter. What was once a digital town square where everyone’s voice had a place, no matter how offbeat or mainstream, an imperfect but vital forum for sharing news, opinions, and stories, is now his very own digital North Korea. And he, it’s Supreme Leader.
Musk has hijacked something beautiful and turned it into his own, personal ideological playground. He didn’t just rebrand it…
Musk has hijacked something beautiful and turned it into his own, personal ideological playground. He didn’t just rebrand it; he’s reshaping it into a platform that echoes his own conservative values under the guise of “free speech” and his own idea of a global, digital town square, but one where only his ideology reigns supreme. And let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: Musk’s endorsement of Donald Trump and his cavalier attitude toward liberal perspectives make it clear that “free speech” on X means “speech I agree with.”
Musk claims X is now the ultimate bastion of free expression, but that’s a smokescreen. Real free speech means all voices, everywhere, not just the ones that align with Musk’s agenda. By championing conservative viewpoints while sidelining liberal ones, Musk is creating a controlled environment where only his preferred narratives get amplified.
It’s a dangerous game he’s playing, one that distorts public discourse and undermines the very essence of what Twitter was supposed to be. This isn’t about fostering open dialogue; it’s about curating a narrative to fit Musk’s personal biases and political leanings. It’s not even about profits for him (obviously); it’s about having full control of something, of the people.
He can’t run for president. Nor could he ever be the leader of a country. So X is the next best thing. The guy who wants to colonize Mars to be its Supreme Ruler has found his own landscape here on Earth to rule over with his often-buggy, stainless steel cyber-fist. X is essentially a digital dictatorship in disguise; one where free speech is selectively applied based on Musk’s preferences.
So, let’s call it what it is: a blatant power grab that’s disguised as a crusade for free speech. It’s a troubling precedent that threatens the core of open, democratic discussion. And that’s a reality we should all be wary of.
—P.
P.S. — I asked Elon’s “Grok” to generate an image of Elon as a digital dictator and the featured image above is what his own A.I. thinks of him.
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