Ever since the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, put in a bid to purchase Twitter last spring, rumors have swirled as to why he is so interested in the social media platform.
Thursday, we finally received clarity as to what Musk’s motive is. In a message addressed to advertisers, Musk told the world exactly what he envisions for the site and how he believes the Twitter experience can be “extraordinary” under his reign.
In short, if you’re a fan of free speech, you’re going to love his message. If you despise free speech, then you’ll probably hate it.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” Musk wrote. “There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.”
He also lamented that “traditional media” has “fueled and catered” content to polarized extremes while sacrificing dialogue for the sake of making money.
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
Musk has often said that he does all his endeavors — from engineering electric vehicles to mapping a course to Mars — because he wants to maximize human potential.
Likewise, he noted, “I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.”
Musk also noted that the site would adhere “to the laws of the land” while being “warm and welcoming to all.”
On Wednesday, the Tesla CEO and artificial intelligence aficionado gave the world a sneak peek at his vision by tweeting, “A beautiful thing about Twitter is how it empowers citizen journalism – people are able to disseminate news without an establishment bias.”
A beautiful thing about Twitter is how it empowers citizen journalism – people are able to disseminate news without an establishment bias
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
Shortly after, Musk changed his Twitter bio. to “Chief Twit” and posted a video of himself entering the company’s headquarters carrying a bathroom sink.
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
While there have been no noticeable changes to the site yet, Musk’s message that Twitter will — once again — be used to give a voice to all is encouraging.
As he said, Twitter allows citizens to receive the news “without an establishment bias” — which is excellent news for all. As has been said, the antidote to speech you don’t like is more speech. Hopefully, Musk will follow through on that vision.
Musk’s full letter can be read here:
I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter. There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong.
The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.”
In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost.
That is why I bought Twitter. I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility. That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.
I also very much believe that advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed, but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content! Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise. To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.