Changing social media instead of society
With $44B, Musk could have been altruistic hero
Elon Musk’s pending purchase of Twitter has Americans either anxious or celebrating – and filling timelines with millions of fraught tweets about the billionaire’s $44 billion offer.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk tweeted Monday to his nearly 87 million followers. There are so many questions:
● How will Twitter evolve as a privately held company?
● Will Donald Trump be allowed back on the platform?
● Is Black Twitter dead?
● What does this mean for moderation?
● Does Musk even know what free speech means? (Probably not.)
We should all take a minute to breathe. This silly purchase likely won’t affect the little corners of our Twitter worlds. It certainly won’t solve world hunger (more on that later). And the deal is far from done. Agencies such as the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission will likely need to sign off, as well as Twitter stockholders. It could take months.
Being rich isn’t my ministry so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about. But I don’t understand how a man with enough money to literally help change the fabric of American society decides to spend it on a platform that isn’t even that popular.
According to a 2021 Pew Research Center social media study, only 23% of U.S. adults use Twitter. Sure, that’s still millions of people, but the platform’s use has been in steady decline. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat and LinkedIn all have bigger platforms.
Users could be navigating to the next big “it” platform before Musk finalizes this latest business venture.
Musk is philanthropic, at least on paper. Last November, he donated more than 5 million shares of Tesla stock, worth $5.7 billion, to an undisclosed charity. Some have questioned whether the donation was made so Musk could avoid capital gains tax. Through the Musk Foundation, Musk has shared his fortune, including a donation of $100 million to fund competition for developing technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the air.
Yet I watch philanthropists like Mackenzie Scott, who has donated at least $12 billion since 2020 to nearly 1,300 organizations and nonprofits that focus on issues like affordable housing, food security, public health, education equity, job training, racial justice and gender equality.
Listen, I like Twitter. I am in control of who I follow, and I appreciate the many news organizations and journalists who use the platform to share their work. It gives me a manageable window into the world. From there I can decide whether to engage further.
It would just be nice if Musk decided to get on board with humanitarian efforts and spend more money on something meaningful, let’s say this country’s blights of homelessness and poverty. Instead, he bought Twitter.
Oh, and I guess I should start following Musk. Maybe.
National columnist/deputy opinion editor Suzette Hackney is a member of USA TODAY’S Editorial Board. Contact her at shackney@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @suzyscribe