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Twitter Debate | Munk Debates

December 1, 2022

Twitter Debate

Be it resolved, Elon Musk’s Twitter is a real threat to democracy.

 


Guests
Kyle Spencer
Michael Tracey

About this episode

Few people engender public debate like Elon Musk. When the world’s richest man purchased Twitter for a whopping $44 Billion, much of the media, the political establishment, and countless users, heralded that this marked the beginning of the end for one of the much beloved social media platforms. Musk’s detractors claim that handing over the platform akin to a mercurial sole proprietor has been a catastrophe from day one. Musk’s misguided maximal commitment to free speech is turning Twitter into a cesspool of hate, violent threats, and outright disinformation. In short, Musk’s twitter is not just a nuisance, it is fast becoming a threat to our democracy. But others see Musk’s twitter takeover as a godsend. Musk has proven himself an adept businessman and visionary, whose Midas touch can only make Twitter better. They argue freedom of expression is a hallmark of democracy, and opening what people can express on Twitter is only going to make our democracy more vibrant and real. For Musk’s supporters, democracy thrives when each individual is able to determine for themselves what and whom to believe, and a free exchange of ideas only encourages us to seek, to learn, to discuss, and to engage.

 

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Guests

Kyle Spencer

“When Elon Musk announced that the bird is free upon taking control of Twitter, what he really meant was tyranny is alive and well”.

Kyle Spencer

“When Elon Musk announced that the bird is free upon taking control of Twitter, what he really meant was tyranny is alive and well”.

Kyle Spencer is an award-winning journalist and frequent New York Times contributor. Her articles have appeared in the Style, Education, Life, Metro, and Metropolitan sections, and on the paper's front page.  

Her new book, Raising Them Right, is the untold story of America's ultraconservative youth movement and its plot for power. She has written for New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The International Herald Tribune, and many other publications.

Michael Tracey

“Twitter was no less monopolistic in that sense before October of 2022, just now the ownership has changed hands to someone who people feel is a bit of a bomb thrower, a bit of troll in his own right, or offends their political sensibilities”.

Michael Tracey

“Twitter was no less monopolistic in that sense before October of 2022, just now the ownership has changed hands to someone who people feel is a bit of a bomb thrower, a bit of troll in his own right, or offends their political sensibilities”.

Michael Tracey is an independent journalist best known for his contrarian remarks on Twitter, boasting more than 274,000 followers. Tracey’s writings in recent years have appeared largely in right-wing outlets, including the Federalist, Fox News, the New York Daily News, and the Wall Street Journal. Tracey’s missives have also been featured by left-wing outlets like Daily Beast, HuffPost, Salon, Mother Jones, Vice, and the Nation

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