Source: Tweet from @elonmusk
Elon Musk’s ideologies and Twitter:
Twitter is slowly becoming more aligned with Elon Musk’s personal ideologies and beliefs under his ownership, which could potentially have negative impacts for Twitter users. There are examples such as the removal of a transgender-specific protection from Twitter’s Hateful Conduct Policy, which Elon Musk has tweeted about opposing the use of pronouns and expressed transphobic perspectives. Musk has also developed his own generative AI system, called “TruthGPT,” due to concerns that generative AI tools like ChatGPT are censoring conservative viewpoints.
Hate Speech on Twitter:
Twitter is shifting more in line with conservative talking points, which could lead to the app becoming a home for conspiracies, misinformation, and hate speech. External reporting suggests that hate speech is up since Musk took over. While Twitter reports that hate speech is down and that they are tackling CSAM content, external analysis shows that instances of hateful terms are still more common than they were in times past.
Volume of potentially antisemitic tweets over time, June 2022 – February 2023
Source: From ISD website
My Opinion:
I am concerned about how Twitter is evolving under Musk’s ownership and whether this could have negative impacts on users, including the potential for increased hate speech and misinformation on the platform. For both Twitter and Tesla, Musk is a key influencer. However, since Twitter is a social media platform, Musk’s personal ideologies can significantly affect Twitter’s fairness and neutrality as a platform. Additionally, Musk also uses his influence on Twitter to convey incorrect values to society. I wonder whether advertisers will agree with Musk’s perspectives and whether this will factor into their decision when running Twitter ad campaigns, given that they remain the biggest revenue source for the company. Moreover, I question whether Musk’s broader vision for the app is healthy for users.
You can read the full article, by Andrew Hutchinson, Twitter Removes Rules Designed to Protect Transgender Users in the App, here.
U Penn Social Book 
Agree. Twitter is in flux and its future as a serious and important microblogging platform unknown and profitablity even questionable unless Musk’s cost-cutting measures don’t kill the platform as opposed to sustaining it. Important issue.