Marcus Richards
Among all of the other interesting, shocking, and confusing things that have gone on in world events of late, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been a topic of great interest for people in nearly every part of the world. Rumors, in-fighting, and major changes to the social media giant’s business policies have landed on headlines for months. The main question that is on everyone’s lips is whether or not Twitter has a future under Musk’s sometimes heavy-handed guidance.
Social media sites have a huge impact on culture these days. Twitter has been at the center of political conversation, social discussion, and social awareness for over a decade now, but it seems poised to make a turn. The question is, what will the turn be, and how will it affect those who use Twitter to promote their brand, discuss the future, and attempt to make changes for the better?
Musk Says He’ll Step Down – Eventually
According to ExpressVPN, Twitter is poised to lose 3.6 million American users in 2023 alone. The UK is reporting significant losses in support for the app as well. To many people who used Twitter for various marketing and social advocacy purposes, this is a depressing situation that is viewed as the foreshadowing of the company’s end.
One of the strangest turns that the Twitter discussion has taken of late happened as the result of a poll that Musk himself placed on Twitter asking if he should step down from management of the company. An overwhelming number of Twitter users told him that it would be for the best if he handed the company’s reins to someone with a better grasp of what consumers want and what social media is all about.
However, in what might be a sign of things to come for the company under Musk’s control, Musk stated that he would consider stepping down, but only if he found someone “foolish enough” to take over for him. He had promised to “abide” by the ruling that Twitter users revealed in the poll, but no change of leadership has been forthcoming.
Hateful Content and Despicable Management Policies Impact Public Opinion
Twitter loyalists no longer know if they should believe the rumors about the abuses of Twitter employees and the nearly manic postings submitted by Musk of late. However, whether the Twitter ramblings of the new owner of the company and the rumors about employees being asked to sleep in their cubicles to prop up the failing social media giant are to be believed or not, the numbers don’t lie. Losing millions of followers within the span of a few months would kill nearly any social media entity.
The company has been embroiled in lawsuits since August of 2022, and Musk laid off half of the staff as soon as he took control. Various people who were Twitter banned for abuse and hate speech have been reinstated, while various public figures have been blocked from the platform without explanation. Free speech seems to be in jeopardy within the platform unless you belong to Musk’s cherished few, and Musk himself continues to fan the flames of dissent. Most loyal users of the platform report that they have stopped using it due to the hateful, aggressive, and xenophobic tone of nearly all the interactions currently happening on the platform.
Speculation Continues About the Future of the Media Giant
Expert analysts have been busily working out projections for the future of Twitter. There are many opinions about which way the tide could turn, and the coming months will likely make it clear which of these predictions are unlikely to come to pass.
Many experts feel that the lack of content moderation, the overall hateful tone of the platform, and the extremism of Musk himself will lead to bankruptcy. Most of the cash that Twitter makes comes from ad revenue. Lost users mean lots of lost revenue, and a lack of content moderation means that more and more like-minded people will flock to the app, limiting the ability to advertise to a wide array of consumer types. Combine these stumbling blocks with Musk’s choice to bring back banned users such as Kathy Griffin, Donald Trump, and Jordan Peterson, and ad revenues are almost guaranteed to be greatly reduced.
Other experts believe that the technical issues that have plagued the company ever since Musk laid off half the workforce will spell the end of the Twitterverse. Privacy and security issues have made many users unwilling to continue to use the platform, and there is no indication that these issues are going to be addressed. This is one of the things that could be reversed if Musk chose to step down and allow more experienced people to manage the platform. However, with Musk’s very public indications that he is not going to do so, many people have lost hope and moved on to other platforms to promote their business and their beliefs.
The Bottom Line
Musk has undoubtedly had a rough start as the new owner of Twitter. This could foretell doom, or it could indicate that a big change is in the future for the company. If Musk should choose to step down and allow more experienced people to take over the company, this might only be a blip in the media giant’s history. However, there are clear indications that the future of Twitter is currently in peril, and without significant changes to the current management style, it is very likely that the company will fail.
Perhaps the most unsatisfying outcome that is on the table for Twitter is that it does survive, but it becomes a platform mainly concerned with hate speech, xenophobia, and extremism. The Twitter that existed prior to Musk’s acquisition of the company will never exist again. The survival of the Twitter brand is not assured at this time, and people all around the world are waiting to see whether the company will rise like a phoenix from the ashes or whether it will go down in flames.
