Musk takes power on Twitter, 6 unanswered questions about the future of media

After weeks of back and forth discussions, Elon Musk is buying Twitter for $44 billion. Musk is trying to fix the failures of Twitter in his own way—restoring free speech around the world, to realize the vision of the social platform.

Regarding the acquisition of Elon Musk, there are two-faced voices, such as the trust in Musk and the uncertainty brought about by Musk’s privatization of Twitter after the destruction of the industry.

The media is a place for free expression of will and dissemination of true information. However, today's media is controlled by a few people and has become a place where resources are contested. Such as the black swan incidents that have occurred continuously in recent years, partisan struggles, extreme reports and even 404.

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Musk is in power on Twitter, where will Twitter go, and 5 unanswered questions are worth thinking about:

1. Will content moderation take a softer or more permissive stance?

Musk's biggest dissatisfaction with Twitter comes from how it moderates content. The current review mechanism, in Musk's view, is tantamount to stifling his freedom of speech.

Musk has previously spoken out against outright banning users who break the rules, instead recommending a "suspension." Musk has said only illegal content will be banned, but has yet to say whether to ban racism, harassment and other objectionable themes.

2. Will Twitter add an "editing" button?

In early April, Musk conducted a poll on his Twitter: "Do you think the platform should add an edit button and allow users to fix typos in posts and adjust them?" The answer is yes, 73.6% Respondents indicated they would like to have this feature.

Twitter has already experienced the editing function on a small scale with its subscription paying users, and Musk wants to make the editing function more democratized.

3. Will Twitter open source its algorithm?

In the TED interview on 4.12, Musk believed that Twitter should open source its algorithm. An open-source algorithm will expose the code Twitter uses to determine which tweets to promote, as well as the code implicit in users' tweets. Open sourcing Twitter will also make more visible the role of computer programs in moderating and policing content on the platform.

For many people, especially conservatives, Twitter's algorithm is suspicious of bias. In theory, open-sourcing the code would make the service more transparent — or, as Musk puts it, show there's no "handling behind the scenes."

4. Will there be fewer scams on Twitter?

Another of Musk's biggest grievances with Twitter comes from the large number of bots posing as real people on its platform.

Musk's recent tweet: "If our twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots or die trying!"

Musk promised to crack down on bots, make it easier for human users to authenticate and even eliminate a lot of crypto scams on the service. But how to solve this problem, Musk has not released relevant information.

5. Will Twitter focus more on subscription revenue?

Musk has said that he didn't buy Twitter for money, and that he would adjust the company's revenue model to focus less on advertising and perhaps more on subscriptions.

Musk suggested in a since-deleted tweet earlier this month that the ads should be removed for Twitter's Premium Blue users. Doing so would have a major impact on the company's revenue model, as Twitter has historically derived 90% of its profits from advertising.

6. Are banned users allowed back?

Twitter has the power to unilaterally ban any user it deems for egregious violations of its rules, including former President Trump following the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol last year.

Whether Trump — or other banned users — will be allowed back on Twitter is unclear, but it's definitely a possibility, with some Republicans and Trump's family already celebrating the former president Thoughts on rejoining the platform.

If Trump's account is reactivated, it could also pave the way for other banned users to return, such as U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was banned in January after violating Twitter's COVID-19 misinformation policy.