"He wanted to “save civilization” by fixing the platform most favored by the movers and shakers, and to establish Twitter as a more moderate, civil, and open public forum where all could be heard."
This was always a contradictory goal and always bound to fail. An "absolutist" free speech platform cannot exist when there are legalities to consider alongside advertisers that wont want the platform to stray outside the Overton window.
Musk's statements from the outset always indicated that he wanted a platform with less moderation, but not one no moderation at all. As I noted in my first Musk piece back in May, we already have a number of platforms with basically no moderation. Gab, Parler, Gettr, etc. It would make no sense to go through the hassle of turning Twitter into one of those, and I don't believe that was ever Musk's intention. The trouble Musk has run into stems mostly from his rashness, impulsivity, and pettiness. More in how he's carrying his vision out, than the vision itself.
To be fair, Musk stated that he was a "free speech absolutist," which, rightly or wrongly, gave the impression that he would lead Twitter in the direction of zero moderation. I never believed that was his intention, but many took it that way.
He boxed himself in from the outset, angering those on all sides of the spectrum. But yes, his pettiness and impulsivity certain exacerbated the situation.
This is great (sparkling) writing!
I posted a link on my Facebook page.
Peter Robinson
You nailed it again, Jamie. Thanks for your perspective, as always.
"He wanted to “save civilization” by fixing the platform most favored by the movers and shakers, and to establish Twitter as a more moderate, civil, and open public forum where all could be heard."
This was always a contradictory goal and always bound to fail. An "absolutist" free speech platform cannot exist when there are legalities to consider alongside advertisers that wont want the platform to stray outside the Overton window.
Musk's statements from the outset always indicated that he wanted a platform with less moderation, but not one no moderation at all. As I noted in my first Musk piece back in May, we already have a number of platforms with basically no moderation. Gab, Parler, Gettr, etc. It would make no sense to go through the hassle of turning Twitter into one of those, and I don't believe that was ever Musk's intention. The trouble Musk has run into stems mostly from his rashness, impulsivity, and pettiness. More in how he's carrying his vision out, than the vision itself.
To be fair, Musk stated that he was a "free speech absolutist," which, rightly or wrongly, gave the impression that he would lead Twitter in the direction of zero moderation. I never believed that was his intention, but many took it that way.
He boxed himself in from the outset, angering those on all sides of the spectrum. But yes, his pettiness and impulsivity certain exacerbated the situation.