fbpx
Founder Institute Lagos Founder Institute Lagos Founder Institute Lagos
  • Home
  • About
  • Partners
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Signup to receive updates
Innovation | Startups | Funding | Tech Blog in Africa
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Startups
  • Hubs
  • Funding
  • WomenTech
  • CleanTech
  • Blockchain
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Startups
  • Hubs
  • Funding
  • WomenTech
  • CleanTech
  • Blockchain
No Result
View All Result
Innovation | Startups | Funding | Tech Blog in Africa
No Result
View All Result
Home General

Commercialization of Twitter; Is Elon Musk on the Right Path?

by Precious Udeorah
2022/05/05
in General
Twitter - techbuild
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tweet
Share
Share

According to Elon Musk, Twitter’s new owner, commercial and government users may have to pay a subscription fee to access the microblogging platform.

This began making the news round after the $44 billion acquisition by the Tesla owner.

The sale represented a significant change for the board, which had previously tried to prevent Musk from turning the social media network private.

“Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the virtual town square where issues crucial to humanity’s future are debated,” Musk stated in a joint statement unveiling the acquisition.

RelatedPosts

CFA urges Positive Narratives for Anambra as Wikimedia Anambra Network celebrates One Year

Unlocking Socio-Economic Progress: Early-Stage VC in South Africa

NiRA announces Voting for the 2023 .NG Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Nigeria’s Digital Community

Energy, AI and a Groovy New Tech Demo Area All on the Menu at Africa Tech Festival

However, acknowledging the public’s fears that his takeover would lead to the commercialization of the social media platform, the billionaire businessman said in the early hours of Wednesday that government and commercial users would pay for the platform.

Also read, 4 Potential Changes expected on Elon Musk’s Twitter

However, he stated that the microblogging site will indeed “always” be free for ordinary users.

In a series of tweets, the billionaire businessman justified his decision to commercialize the platform for government and commercial users by claiming that free services resulted in the destruction of great businesses.

“Twitter will be free for ordinary users, but there may be a small cost for commercial/government users,” he wrote.

In response to a tweet, the businessman added, “Some profit is better than none!”

Elon Musk previously stated, “Inevitably, the Freemasons’ eventual demise was giving out free stone cutting services.”

On paper, the enthusiasm for Twitter’s sales far surpasses the site’s commercial importance. Twitter does not even make the top 10 most popular social networks in the world, trailing only by newbies like TikTok.

Twitter, the corporation, has only confirmed high profit twice in its whole history – in 2018 and 2019 – but in other years relied heavily on metrics such as engagement or user growth to reassure investors that it is worthwhile to keep.

The site has also been chastised for how it handles misinformation, especially when it is propagated by prominent figures such as former US President Donald Trump.

Twitter, on the other hand, has a very particular and critical cache that enables it to punch above its weight. It is the preferred system for journalists and government officials, primarily diplomats, two key constituencies whose engagement in the site lets it reach beyond anyone who is a registered user.

Is Musk’s acquisition the end of Twitter as we know it? It’s conceivable. The return of some of the far-right voices that were removed from the site may make it unbearable or inaccessible for the vast majority of consumers.

The rise of the alt-right and some patterns in web misogyny in the United States have been replicated in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, and India.

A resurgence in the United States will have ramifications around the world, especially if Twitter pursues its global expansion plans.

Certainly, reversing some of the meager but critical attempts to make Twitter a more multilateral company, in response to international scenarios such as Nigeria’s End SARS movement, would be a significant step back.

Musk’s purchase of Twitter may very well kill it, but we will still have a world of billions of people who have expressed a desire to participate in an internet that allows them to interact in factual social and political discussion with people beyond their social circles.

Beyond Twitter, what guidelines and structures will be needed to avoid the next iteration of social media from replicating the harms of the systems we have now? This is a far more constructive debate than wringing one’s hands over a private company’s possible demise.


Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild.africa weekly digest for updates.

Join @techbuildafrica on Telegram
Tweet
Share
Share
ShareTweetShareSendShare

Subscribe us

Recent Posts

  • Nigerian SMB? Apply for Google Hustle Academy Fund (₦75 Million)
  • AI for Health: 5 African Companies make Google for Startups Growth Academy Selection
  • CFA urges Positive Narratives for Anambra as Wikimedia Anambra Network celebrates One Year
  • CIC partners ChipLab to drive Nigeria’s Microchip Industry
  • Root secures $1.5M from Invenfin to accelerate Expansion Plans
  • AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2023: Key Players set to Drive Africa’s Digital Economy
  • Unlocking Socio-Economic Progress: Early-Stage VC in South Africa
  • Young Nigerian Innovator? Apply for IMC Go-to-Talent Challenge ($10K)
  • NiRA announces Voting for the 2023 .NG Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Nigeria’s Digital Community
  • Anambra ICT Agency MD to Keynote Bossladylaw Business Challenge
Innovation | Startups | Funding | Tech Blog in Africa

© 2013-2021 techbuild.africa. All Rights Reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • WE-Forum
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms
  • Blockchain
  • CleanTech

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Startups
  • Hubs
  • Funding
  • WomenTech
  • CleanTech
  • Blockchain

© 2013-2021 techbuild.africa. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In