Confusion, attention, intrigue, celebration.
In the hours after Elon Musk took over Twitter, reactions on the platform ranged from triumph to despair.
While the policy change had not been announced immediately as of Friday afternoon on the 28th, that didn't stop users from cheering or criticizing. They expect Musk to quickly implement his pledge to reduce restrictions. According to him, the move is to promote freedom of speech.
And conservatives on the platform have begun to re-broadcast long-debunked conspiracy theories, including those about the coronavirus and the 2020 election. They're trying to "test" whether Twitter's policy on misinformation handling is still being enforced.
And those popular right-wing pundits tweeted trending terms like "ivermectin" and "Trump wins" to test whether they would be penalized for what they suggested was previously flagged punish. Ivermectin is an inexpensive drug that kills parasites in humans and animals. The drug was previously promoted by some Republican politicians and conservative talk show hosts as an effective treatment for the new coronavirus. But health experts have warned that there is no evidence to support claims that the drug is effective.
Steve Cortez, a former commentator on the conservative cable channel Newsmax and a former adviser to President Donald Trump, wrote in a tweet, "Ok @elonmusk, does this thing exist? , which also includes a microphone emoji. "There are two genders, Trump wins, ivermectin is shocking."
On Thursday, Musk released a letter aimed at allaying advertisers' concerns. In his letter, he promised that Twitter would not become "a hell where everyone can speak freely, a hell where there are no consequences for anything they say."
But for now, the jury is still out on what the social media platform will become and how much it will tolerate. And those watching are watching who will stay, who will leave and who will likely be released from the list that the platform has banned for years. Examples include lists ranging from former US President Donald Trump to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. But so far, none of them have returned to the platform.
As of Friday afternoon, the Associated Press checked at least a dozen other Twitter accounts blocked by the platform. Yet "account suspensions" appeared on every account, including those used by right-wing activist James O'Keefe and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
At least someone still found a way to get their message across.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday morning, Trump said: "I'm glad Twitter is now in the hands of the sane and will no longer be run by those who truly hate our country. radical left-wing madman management". Although Musk said he would allow it, Trump left no sign of whether he would return to the platform.
"I love the truth," he said, adding that Twitter would "be better" if it could get to grips with the bots and fake accounts that "did it so badly."
In a tweet Friday afternoon, Musk said Twitter would form a "content moderation committee with widely divergent views." And "the platform will not make any major decisions about content or reinstate access to certain accounts until the committee meets."
Open Pandora's Box
Earlier in the day, Reuters reported that rapper Kanye West, known as Kanye West, was blocked earlier in October for anti-Semitic posts on the platform. He has since returned to Twitter.
Musk clarified that the person's account was restored before he completed the acquisition, and that Twitter "did not consult or notify me about the matter."
The rapper and fashion designer was also previously blocked from Instagram. But recently, his account was reinstated.
Meanwhile, there are dozens of extremist Twitter profiles, some of which are newly created accounts. The accounts spread racial slurs and Nazi images while expressing gratitude to Musk's new boss. One of the similar posts tweeted racial slurs and "thank you Elon" messages, sharing real-time news updates about Musk's takeover of Twitter. Another anonymous account tweeted, "Elon now controls Twitter and walks racial slurs," along with some derogatory comments.
"His acquisition of Twitter opens a Pandora's box," advocacy group Ultraviolet said in a prepared statement Friday. At the same time, the group urged Musk, Twitter executives and the company's board of directors to continue enforcing the ban on Trump "as well as violent right-wing extremists and white supremacists."
Reacting to the news, some users threatened to delete the tweet, while others mocked the former's approach. The words "elon" and "delete" were trending on Twitter on Friday the 28th as users discussed the consequences.
The platform is full of speculation. Some worry that their Twitter following numbers will plummet amid speculation that Twitter may be cleaning up some bots. Others posted unverified information, saying their "likes" were dwindling.
"Elon Musk has bought a platform, but he can't buy people. And we still have other options for getting news, information, and communication," said Jennifer Gregiel, a social media expert and a professor at Syracuse University.
If Twitter falls into further chaos under Musk, there will be quality issues with the platform, Grigir said. But that's probably not a bad thing, since Twitter these days serves the interests of businesses and national media more.
And, as usual, users were quick to joke around in an attempt to smooth out this mess that had arisen in a more comical way.
On Friday morning, CNN commentator Bacary Sellers tweeted, "In honor of Elon now getting this platform, I want to screw everything up. Popeyes and Bojangles who bombed. Chicken tastes better? What's the reason?"
