The Twitter Files & American Media

When Elon Musk finalized the deal to buy Twitter in the late October of 2022, it wasn’t apparent where the platform was headed. As one of the worlds most prominent tech entrepreneurs, something that was clear is that he had a vision for the future. One that expanded beyond developing self driving cars and trips to Mars. One that would shock American media and address the overall purpose that social media sites, such as Twitter, will have in our society as the world continues to go through major changes in how information is shared. Now, we are watching this vision reveal itself in real-time.

The Twitter Files

On December 2nd, 2022, less than 90 days after Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Matt Taibbi, a former journalist at Rolling Stone, published a series of tweets that outlined the suppression of content by the former Twitter team regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop that contained possible emailed evidence of corruption by Joe Biden. Although the aforementioned evidence is partly in question, the tweets detailed the process of Twitter employees accepting request by the Biden administration to censor tweets related to the accusations. This was a controversial decision within the company and now, it is a hot topic being discussed by the Twitter community.

So why is this important?

The American Media

Aside from the obvious political ramifications for the Biden administration, what’s also interesting is that much of the American media has been silent regarding this story. It might be possible that they have not been able to fact check the details or maybe they too are being swayed by an invisible political hand. Right now, the water is murky and it’s hard to be sure. However, what’s for certain is that the discourse present on Twitter could rival the 2020 presidential debate in its relevance and intensity. Voices from all over have given their responses to the story and it’s apparent that the platform has effectively become a hub for public conversation about the matter.

Returning to Musk’s vision for Twitter, we get a glimpse into a new era of social media. One that is less motivated by agendas and memes and instead driven by individuals eager to share important information with the worlds online forum. If done correctly, Twitter could become a place where members of opposing sides can come together for better understanding of important issues while sharing viewpoints. After all, that could be what the site was meant for in the first place.