It seems Elon Musk is very much on the minds of the progressive intelligentsia. When he announced his plan to buy Twitter back in April, the pearl-clutching began in earnest. But now that he is firmly ensconced in the captain’s chair, the necklaces have been ripped asunder as prominent leftists panic about what this could mean for their iron grip on Big Tech. Now, progressive influencers are working feverishly to figure out an effective strategy to use against Musk. It seems they may have settled on a plan of attack: using accusations of racism and misinformation to discredit the new Twitter CEO. But how will this particular stratagem unfold?
Progressives Slap Musk With ‘Misinformation’ Label
Several left-leaning outlets have published pieces intimating that Musk’s takeover of Twitter will result in more misinformation and racism being spread on the platform. Quartz published a report that criticized the entrepreneur for posting a story from the Santa Monica Observer, which theorized the recent assault on Paul Pelosi was the result of a gay affair the assailant had with the victim.
“The attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home in San Francisco set off a trail of conspiracy theories. For one newly minted social media owner, it was a first test of how misinformation spreads online in 2022 — and the results weren’t promising,” Quartz’s Ananya Bhattacharya claimed. The Santa Monica Observer later updated the story to say: “San Francisco Police said today that victim Pelosi and suspect [David] Depape did not know each other prior to the attack. SFPD reaffirmed that the assault followed a break-in.” Twitter users “are already reporting a surge in hate speech and misinformation,” according to Bhattacharya.
The New Yorker’s John Cassidy also took a swing at Musk over the misinformation issue. Cassidy referenced a message the CEO sent to advertisers on the platform indicating he bought the company to turn it into a “common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” But the author stated that this would only accelerate the proliferation of misinformation and hate:
“On the face of it, this sounded like a commendable statement. In actuality, though, the phrase ‘common digital town square’ is an oxymoron, which suggests that [Musk] either doesn’t understand what he is getting into or is being disingenuous. Standing on a soapbox in a town square, the delirious ranter, or even the genuine prophet, can reach a few hundred people. Twitter is a global communications platform, on which celebrities — including Musk himself — can reach tens of millions of people; where online mobs (some of them carefully orchestrated) can target individuals relentlessly; and where bad actors, such as political extremists, terrorists, and rogue intelligence agencies, can plant misinformation to sow hatred and violence.”
The article went on to assert that Musk’s plan to slash Twitter’s workforce would potentially “undermine the site’s ability to moderate its content.”
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency
Not to be outdone, TechCrunch took issue with the businessman’s proposal to charge users for verification. Twitter has a policy of granting blue checkmarks to notable individuals to ensure that others cannot impersonate them on the platform. “Blue checks exist on social platforms as a means of combating misinformation,” writer Amanda Silberling noted. “Currently, if someone makes a fake account pretending to be a world leader, journalist or celebrity, it’s easy to tell it’s a fake if the account doesn’t have a blue check. But under this newly proposed system, there’s not much incentive to pay the $20 per month to stay verified, especially since the once-coveted symbol would be available to anyone willing to pay. It’s quite possible that bad actors trying to pose as journalists to spread fake news would be more incentivized to pay the $20 than actual journalists,” she continued.
Others pointed to the uptick in racial slurs being used on the platform shortly after the deal to buy Twitter was finalized. They called this proof that Musk has somehow emboldened racists. However, Yoel Roth, the company’s head of safety and integrity, put this to rest in a thread explaining what occurred. “Over the last 48 hours, we’ve seen a small number of accounts post a ton of Tweets that include slurs and other derogatory terms,” he posted. “To give you a sense of scale: More than 50,000 Tweets repeatedly using a particular slur came from just 300 accounts … Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign — and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone,” Roth added.
Will the Attacks Work?
Elon Musk (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
The term “misinformation” has become a cherished part of the progressive lexicon. It is yet another javelin folks on the left have hurled at their political opponents. The Biden administration leveraged the term to pressure social media companies to squelch opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic that did not conform to the government-approved position.
In the media, “misinformation” has supplanted the “fake news” moniker that leftists used against right-leaning outlets. That particular insult lost its luster after former President Donald Trump turned the cudgel back on them. But in essence, misinformation has been used to characterize any opinion, report, or argument that runs contrary to the narrative the left-wing chattering class seeks to spread on the airwaves and internet. It also is illuminating that these people did not make so much as a peep when activist media outlets like CNN perpetuated false information online. Remember the “fine people” hoax and the deceptive handling of the Covington kids story?
The fact that these people put on a show of concern only when they believe false information is coming from the right has already discredited their tactics. How can they claim to oppose misinformation without also targeting those on their own side who peddle it? If current developments are any indication, Musk’s opponents need to come up with a better approach if they are to have a chance at harming his reputation.
