Sat down to read, fell asleep, woke up to a massive twitter purge of journalists.
Musk’s thin skin is not really the cause, deplatforming opposing voices is.
I’m convinced that Musk is the point person in an effort to destroy Twitter’s effectiveness as a vehicle for pro-democracy voices. The authoritarian right has been on the rise, so it’s only logical for the oligarchs to take the next step and undermine our public squares. Places where the left can freely interact in the open and on a world stage.
Free pro-democratic speech alarms authoritarians, but they are terrified by the idea of those pro-democracy voices having a place to meet, share ideas, and organize.
The right has many such places, most are in the shadows. 4-chan should come to mind.
Mostly, the left keeps its work out in the light. Destroy those places the left meets to organize and you set the cause of freedom and democracy back until such spaces can reform. Maybe by a few years, but maybe by a decade.
Running Twitter into the ground is the plan, not the result of poor management.
A fragmented opposition has always been the goal.
Divide and conquer public spaces.
Drive liberal voices into the shadows where they struggle to grow.
Deny left leaning audiences access to voices that represent their ideas and only present them with the authoritarian’s views.
$44 billion is a small price to pay for the world’s oligarchs. Protecting their power, privilege, and property is priceless.