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.