Controversy Surrounding Elon Musk’s Twitter Ownership
Since Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion, the social media platform has been a hotbed of controversy. Musk’s unpopular decisions as the owner of Twitter have prompted others to impersonate him by changing their names to Elon Musk and posting outrageous statements.
H3H3 Banned for Impersonating Elon Musk
One outspoken critic of Musk, Ethan Klein, also known as H3H3, decided to change his name and photo to Elon Musk on Twitter. He then proceeded to tweet offensive statements, testing Musk’s free speech policy. Some of Klein’s tweets included calling Jeffrey Epstein an “old friend” and praising Tesla for having only six accidental deaths. As a result, H3H3’s Twitter account was banned.
Mixed Reactions from the Streaming Community
The streaming community had mixed responses to H3H3’s actions. Some applauded his courage in speaking out against Musk, while others argued that impersonation is not comedy and that he should have followed the rules.
Concerns Surrounding Musk’s Decrees as Twitter CEO
Many of Musk’s decisions as Twitter CEO have been met with criticism. For instance, his decision to charge $8 a month for the verification check was questioned. Those who chose not to pay would be “shadow banned” as their tweets would be buried under verified users’ tweets.
Furthermore, Musk’s emphasis on “free speech” raised alarm among many users. Since his acquisition of the platform, the use of racial slurs has increased. Musk contended that hate speech would decrease once people had to pay for verification, as he believed unverified accounts would be mostly bots and trolls. He reasoned that verified accounts would receive more visibility, suppressing the tweets from unverified accounts.
Klein’s ban is just one example of the divisive reactions to Musk’s policies on Twitter. Some staunchly support Musk’s changes, while others are seeking alternatives to the platform, hoping to abandon it as it continues to decline.