A new assessment determined that X, the platform once known as Twitter, is worth a mere fraction of the value it had when Elon Musk bought it for $44 billion.
I think it’s easier to believe that powerful people saw it as an opportunity to control a popular social space for controlling discourse and dissent. Western folks might not think of it much, but social media did some good before. One Egyptian dude even named his daughter Facebook. Some of these places still have literal kings.
I think there’s a 3rd option that he knows he’s making it shitty and horrible and it is on purpose and was the goal. Maybe not always. It might have started as stupid posturing, but it seems like there’s goals now and there’s buy in from authoritarian parties.
I think it’s easier to believe that powerful people saw it as an opportunity to control a popular social space for controlling discourse and dissent. Western folks might not think of it much, but social media did some good before. One Egyptian dude even named his daughter Facebook. Some of these places still have literal kings.
I think there’s a 3rd option that he knows he’s making it shitty and horrible and it is on purpose and was the goal. Maybe not always. It might have started as stupid posturing, but it seems like there’s goals now and there’s buy in from authoritarian parties.