Twitter has contacted several advertising agencies to reassure them that Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk's plans for the social media platform won't make it an inhospitable place for them.
Twitter also assured the users that Musk wouldn't make the platform more toxic than it already is.
Twitter Reassures Users and Brands of Musk's Plans
Musk has promised that under his watch, Twitter will push for free speech and will only remove content that is labeled as illegal.
However, experts have pointed out that his plan would ease restrictions on several unpleasant but legal forms of speech.
This includes grotesque images and videos, propaganda, and medical misinformation. These are the types of content that agencies do not want to be associated with, according to The Verge.
Twitter has reached out to several ad agencies to preempt such features, telling them that the advertisements they make for massive brands won't appear alongside offensive content.
According to Financial Times, Twitter's report does not offer further details, but it reflects widespread fears that Musk's leadership will lead to an increase in a hateful and toxic speech on the social media platform.
Right after an official announcement confirming Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, several campaign groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL )and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP ) have expressed concern that Musk's takeover of the platform will open a door for extremists to leave distasteful tweets.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, told Haaretz that they know firsthand the hate and extremism in digital spaces can lead to physical violence, particularly against Jews and other marginalized communities.
Greenblatt added that Twitter had made some strides in tackling the hate in the past few years, so while they want to be optimistic about Musk's leadership, he has not demonstrated any focus on these issues so far. He added that they are worried that Musk could take things in a very different direction.
Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, issued a statement saying that free speech is wonderful but hate speech is unacceptable.
Johnson added that misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech have no place on Twitter.
He also singled out the possibility that Musk would allow former US President Donald Trump to return to the platform, suggesting this would allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech or falsehoods that subvert America's democracy.
Social Media's Policies on Hate Speech
In 2020, the ADL boycotted advertisements on Facebook due to the platform's lack of action against hate speech.
But in 2021, the ADL said that the campaign mostly led to only incremental changes while Facebook's advertising revenue was unaffected.
Because of its small size, Twitter is more vulnerable to coordinated action by advertisers. The platform generated $4.5 billion in ad revenue in 2021 compared to $114 billion for Meta.
But Musk said he is not buying the social media company for the money and is only interested in his ideological goals. Although Twitter is not known as a money-spinner, it has benefited Musk financially in other ways.
Related Article: Elon Musk's $44B Buyout Offer Accepted by Twitter Board of Directors: Twitter Upkeep Alone 'Could Cost' Musk an Annualized $1B in Service Fees?
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Written by Sophie Webster
