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1. Everyone must know by now that ultra-rich boy, Elon Musk, has finally purchased Twitter. It is safe to say that Elon is upsetting people.

   Elon Musk “doesn’t know what he’s doing” with Twitter and is “making everyone alarmed”, a former executive has said, after major brands paused their advertising spend on the platform and the company laid off thousands of staff.
   ‘Elon Musk doesn’t know what he’s doing’, says former Twitter executive, theguardian.com

   Removing moderation in the name of “free speech”

   But so far, Musk seems to equate “free speech” on Twitter with “looser moderation.”
   Op-ed: What Elon Musk really gets out of owning Twitter, CNBC

   While Elon talks about transparency and free speech, what he seems to want is a free-for-all more akin to 4Chan or other unsavoury parts of the web.

   He has echoed complaints from the right wing that Twitter suppresses their ideas and posts, saying repeatedly that Twitter should be politically neutral and “upset the left and right equally.” He’s said he would reverse the permanent ban on former President Donald Trump, whom Twitter kicked off after Jan. 6, citing a risk of further incitement to violence, although Musk more recently said nobody’s getting reinstated for at least a few more weeks.
   Op-ed: What Elon Musk really gets out of owning Twitter, CNBC

   What this loosening of moderation does to Twitter is to make it a free-for-all hellscape where marketing, journalism, scams, fake news, and propaganda are indistinguishable. This is perfect if you plan to use it for marketing your business as Elon Musk probably plans.

   For users, though, this is bad news all around.

   Legitimacy for rent – verified status is now for sale

   Twitter’s blue tick used to mean that the user was who they said they were. It was a way for users to be sure they really were following the real deal and not a fake.

   Musk has thrown that out by letting anyone buy a blue tick for $8 a month. Rather than improve transparency as he claims, Elon has reduced it.

   Prior to the take-over, Twitter identified trustworthy and known users with verification – indicating who could be trusted. Very few people got the blue tick making it a measure of trustworthiness.

   Now though you can just buy that same status regardless of if the user is authentic, truthful, or even real.

   Experts have raised grave concerns about upending the platform’s verification system that, while not perfect, has helped Twitter’s 238 million daily users determine whether the accounts they were getting information from were authentic. The update Twitter made to the iOS version of its app does not mention verification as part of the new “blue check” system.
   Twitter launches $8 monthly subscription with blue checkmark as Musk moves quickly to overhaul platform, Fortune

   Twitter is more toxic now

   Elon Musk’s deconstruction of the verification system (blue ticks) and reduction in moderation has led to an uptick in toxic and hateful content.

   Already, experts have noticed hateful content has skyrocketed since Musk closed his acquisition of Twitter.

   Use of the n-word has increased by nearly 500% on the platform, according to the Network Contagion Research Institute, which identifies “cyber-social threats.”
   Twitter’s blue tick will cost $8 a month, says Elon Musk, giving ‘power to the people’, Sky News

   Bans based on bugger-all

   At the same time, he has cracked down on anyone who disagrees with him or just makes jokes he doesn’t get. Humour was supposed to come back but suddenly satirical handles are out.

   Elon can’t take a joke, it seems

   The man who says he loves a joke and was bringing humour back to Twitter maybe is not as fun-loving as he claims.

   Days after Elon Musk declared that “comedy is now legal on Twitter,” the platform banned several comedians for parody tweets in which they impersonated its new owner.
   Twitter Bans Accounts Mocking ‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk, Time

   Muck claimed that he wanted to keep Twitter neutral and fair. Then he immediately endorsed a political side. When comedian Kathy Griffon mocked Musk for this, he banned her.

   Griffin had tweeted about the US midterm elections under Musk’s name, with one tweet saying: “After much spirited discussion with the females in my life. I’ve decided that voting blue for their choice is only right (They’re also sexy females, btw.) #VoteBlueToProtectWomen”. Musk tweeted about the account ban, saying Griffin had been removed for “impersonating a comedian” but could have her account back for $8.
   Twitter bans comedian Kathy Griffin for impersonating Elon Musk, The Guardian

   Elon Musk is chasing advertisers away

   Even so, Twitter appears to have spooked some advertisers, with several reportedly having paused their ad spend and others understood to be considering their position.
   ‘Elon Musk doesn’t know what he’s doing’, says former Twitter executive, theguardian.com

   No one believes musk’s “free speech” claims

   Musk claims he wants to enhance free speech – which is good. However, all he seems to be doing is removing the safeguards against toxic, untrue, and unsafe content. The exact free-for-all hellscape he said he wanted to avoid.

   Musk tried to reassure advertisers last week, saying Twitter would not become a “free-for-all hellscape” because of what he calls his commitment to free speech.

   But concerns remain about whether a lighter touch on content moderation at Twitter will result in users sending out more offensive tweets. That could hurt companies’ brands if their advertisements appear next to them.
   Twitter launches $8 monthly subscription with blue checkmark as Musk moves quickly to overhaul platform, Fortune

   He blames others for the losses

   Musk told the world that he wants to stop “fake accounts” and pursue truth despite taking steps to make telling lies easier and parody (a good check against lies) harder. Then, when this backfired, he blamed others. Those others seem to be demographics he fundamentally disagrees with or that are critical of him.

   Musk blamed Twitter’s “massive drop in revenue” on a coalition of civil rights groups that has ramped up pressure on advertisers, demanding they suspend ads globally after he laid off roughly half of the staff.
   Elon Musk tells Twitter advertisers he wants to stop fake accounts, pursue truth, Reuters

   Driving people to Mastodon

   Mastodon is basically what would happen if Twitter were to exist in lots of places all at the same time but still acted like it was one thing. It is a little more fiddly to get going with and tended to attract enthusiasts.

   Now users are fleeing Twitter in droves. High-profile users such as Stephen Fry have delegated their Twitter accounts and shifted to Mastodon instead.

   Hashtags #TwitterMigration and #TwitterExodus are gaining popularity, and the most common name found in conjunction with it is Mastodon – the new home for fleeing tweeters.
   What is Mastodon? The ‘Twitter alternative’ that people are flocking to, Metro

   Mastodon server managers have been discovering what a massive surge of new users does to their servers.

   I guess we might all want to do as others have:

   Join Mastodon

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