Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter is still a brand new development, but the announcement alone is already having a massive impact on the influential social media platform. Musk has been vocal about his desire to turn Twitter into the kind of open and free forum for discussion that he thinks it should be, and many users believe that the atmosphere on the platform has already shifted thanks to the news that Musk is taking over.
Follower counts fluctuate for conservatives and liberals
Overzealous censorship on the major social media platforms has driven many people to desire or start an alternative platform, with varying degrees of success.
When the world’s richest man decides that Twitter has gone too far with its censorship, he can simply buy the company and change the rules as he sees fit.
Almost immediately after the purchase, rumors of panicked Twitter employees began to circulate while users affected by their political censorship celebrated.
Some conservative accounts rapidly gained tens of thousands of followers while prominent leftist accounts noticed substantial losses.
Big changes will undoubtedly be coming to Twitter with Musk in charge, but it’s unclear how much of what has happened so far is actually the result of anything going on behind the scenes.
Musk has said that he intends to cull bots and put a stop to politically motivated suspensions, but these developments will not be immediate.
Twitter to become a home for free speech, Musk says
The sudden changes in follower counts may have been completely organic, as conservative users flocked back to Twitter or made new accounts and liberals followed through on their promises to deactivate should Musk buy the company.
There has been speculation about previously banned accounts being revived after the purchase, but there is limited evidence for this so far.
By far the most famous banned account, that of former President Donald Trump, has not returned yet despite its being at the center of much of the conservative excitement and liberal fear surrounding the Musk takeover.
Trump has said that he intends to stay on his own platform, Truth Social, even if the Twitter ban is reversed. That claim has been met with some skepticism by those who recall Trump’s old love of posting on the platform.
Musk has not said that he will restore Trump’s account, but doing so would align with all of his stated motivations for buying Twitter.
Elon Musk may not be a conservative, but he says that he is a free speech absolutist, and for conservatives who have been censored on social media that is already a massive improvement.
