After Elon Musk Takes Over, Twitter Users Test Free Speech Limits


Elon Musk has vowed to return to content moderation after taking over Twitter.
Los Angeles:
Twitter users wasted no time on Friday testing the limits of free speech on the platform under new owner Elon Musk, with posts questioning people’s identities and masks. Transgender.
Hours after Musk took full ownership of the platform, conservative voices have glorified what they say is their newly won right to free speech.
Podcaster Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) jumped straight in, tweeting: “BTW turns out *CANT* men are pregnant, Take it away, libs.”
BTW it turns out that men *CANT* are pregnant
Take it, libs 🏻
– Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) October 28, 2022
The tweet sparked both support and derision, with people apparently agreeing to respond with tweets like “Truth” and “This is going to be a great day.”
Others chose to mock the familiar attempt to “own” liberal opponents.
“Turns out you CANNOT get fired,” @sawthrewit tweeted.
Masks, which have been widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic, and caused division in the United States despite scientists recommending their use, are also a common theme.
“Now that we can tell the truth here after Elon Musk officially takes over, I’ll step out and say: Masks don’t work,” @ianmSC tweeted.
Now that we can tell the truth here after Elon Musk officially takes over, I’ll come out and say it:
Mask not working
– Ian Miller (@ianmSC) October 28, 2022
Almost like 2020 again, the tweet drew some supportive comments and the video shows steamy breath escaping from the mask.
It also caused expected answers from the other side of the argument.
“So if you need surgery, you’re okay with the medical staff not wearing a mask? I mean because they’re not working, right?” tweeted @marynol51.
So if you need surgery, will you be fine without the medical staff wearing a mask? I mean because they don’t work, right? 🏻♀️
– Mary MacLean (@marynol51) October 28, 2022
The world’s richest man, a self-declared “liberalist,” completed his takeover of Twitter late Thursday.
The nimble Tesla chief tweeted, “let the time be fun,” his latest cheerful gesture signaling his sensational $44 billion bid to take Twitter private is finally done. .
Musk has vowed to return to content moderation, which conservatives say unfairly targets their views.
But detractors warn that without standards, the world’s “digital city squares” risk becoming the home of all misinformation, with potentially dangerous consequences to democracy and public health.
In true Twitter style, the conservative-led effort to test the boundaries on Friday has spawned several attempted attempts.
“Since this platform is allowing free speech again, I just want to say that cool farm Doritos is better than nacho cheese,” @KFILE tweeted.
Since this platform is allowing free speech back, I just want to say that cool farm Doritos is better than nacho cheese.
– andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) October 28, 2022
While @Alyssafarah tried to put the cat among the pigeons with an old saw that never failed to prove incendiary: “The Rolling Stones > The Beatles”
The Rolling Stones> The Beatles https://t.co/Z1dPmzTysX
– Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) October 28, 2022
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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