Twitter has had an exciting year. Elon Musk’s recent purchase has resulted in significant modifications. He has urged a broader diversity of perspectives on Twitter, piloted new products, and encouraged customers to pay $8/month for special services.
Despite this, the company is in disarray just a few weeks after the ownership change. The company has lost approximately half of its workforce to resignations or layoffs. Moreover, the Federal Trade Commission and the European Union have urged Musk to maintain appropriate security and privacy policies. After an online poll revealed 52% of respondents supported Trump’s return, Musk reinstated him on Twitter.
The company’s long-term financial survival is also threatened by some advertisers’ suspension of advertising spending. In many ways, Musk’s acquisition raises intriguing questions about Twitter’s future direction. As part of this article, we will examine four Twitter scenarios: bankruptcy, a company with a small staff that does little content moderation and allows extremist speech to spread, a company with serious technical problems, and a company with a smaller staff adding new products and surviving a bumpy start.
Bankruptcy
Advertisers are one of the most crucial aspects in deciding Twitter’s financial destiny, as they generate the majority of the company’s revenue. When several sponsors delay or reduce their expenditures, his platform could be doomed. Significant income loss may make it difficult to continue basic services or update the platform. According to press sources, Twitter requires more than a billion dollars per year only to cover its debt, and anything that jeopardizes loan repayment or employee security could jeopardize the company.
Moderation of Content with Extremism
Throughout his career, Musk has made no secret of his desire to promote free expression and ensure a broader range of content on the site. The reinstatement of Donald Trump, Kathy Griffin, Babylon Bee, and Jordan Peterson shows his devotion to that viewpoint. They were banned for inflammatory rhetoric, impersonations, and transphobic remarks.
While these changes are admirable from the standpoint of free expression, they could lead to increased toxicity and extremism on social media sites, as well as less emphasis on content management. With approximately 87 million followers on Twitter, Trump has a huge reach when it comes to spreading his fiery opinions, especially now that he has announced his candidacy for president. Only 60 of Twitter’s 560 content moderators remain on the company’s payroll, according to Axios.
People with ideas outside the mainstream also feel the same way. By using automated bots and enforcement personnel, it is easy to spread misinformation and extreme ideas. With just a tweet and the use of artificial intelligence, messages spread around the world causing chaos.
Maintenance Problems on the Site
Many engineers and policy workers have resigned or been fired, making it difficult for Twitter to maintain its technical infrastructure and protect the service from privacy and cybersecurity risks. Because code is being rewritten quickly and professionals have less experience with Twitter’s proprietary software, the platform may be vulnerable to criminal schemes, cybersecurity attacks, or ransomware threats. The privacy and security teams, who have experience in lowering these dangers, are in disarray due to personnel departures, increasing the problems of running the site and protecting users significantly. It is not an easy task to maintain millions of lines of code while also protecting users from malicious individuals intent on causing harm to others.
Survival Services of Quality
However, Musk’s rocky start as “chief twit” does not ensure failure. Many firms have survived difficult times by innovating, developing new services and products, and thriving in the long run. It is conceivable to minimize costs and staff while still launching new items that create usage and attract marketers. Musk is not condemned to failure when there are options for premium services in commerce, communications, dating, games, and pornographic material. Adult services are one of the most profitable sectors of the internet, and Musk might create cash by providing content of interest to those consumers, producing much-needed revenue.
However, whether a site with extremism, toxicity, and adult content can attract mainstream advertisers looking for a site with more guardrails and content regulation is an open question. Established firms with strong names are unlikely to want to be connected with a platform that offers disputed or offensive content, and their ads may be reduced or removed from the site. Twitter’s new owner will need great dexterity to negotiate the line between new services that drive traffic and content that alienates users and/or advertisers.
Consistently Different Circumstances
These scenarios are not mutually exclusive, and Musk may pursue all of them. Twitter may welcome radicalism and develop new products while avoiding the controversy that comes with such decisions. Musk enjoys being the center of attention and has a high tolerance for public derision and ridicule. His company could surprise experts by operating on the outskirts of profitability while still gaining new consumers and sustaining the company.