Musk seems to want to drive everyone but certain types away.
Elon Musk’s Twitter (calling itself ‘X’) is in a rough spot. After Elon Musk agreed with a tweet spouting a vile antisemitic and racist conspiracy theory as to why “Hitler was right,” hundreds of large advertisers left the platform. This included Apple, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and many more. They couldn’t stand by when the owner of the company boosted and agreed with hate. Musk told them to “Go f*ck yourself” (censoring my own). Companies realized the hit to their reputation for being on Twitter was worse than any benefit they could get from advertising on Twitter and left.
Now, Elon Musk must be desperate. He’s bringing back controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre sued Alex Jones into bankruptcy after he claimed the shooting was a hoax and they and their deceased loved ones were paid actors. The claim was particularly heinous, and brought attacks from his followers who further uprooted the lives of the families of the school shooting. Losing a loved one is unfathomably difficult. Facing harassment from all corners of the internet due to a loudmouthed conspiracy theorist only makes the grieving process worse. The families are to receive over $1 billion in damages. Alex Jones declared bankruptcy, and, according to court documents, has continued to “enjoy his extravagant lifestyle.” The families whose lives he uprooted are not so lucky.
Now, Elon Musk thinks Alex Jones has suffered enough and can come back to the platform. Twitter can’t get any worse, what’s one more hateful conspiracy theorist on Twitter?
Jones’ Ban
Alex Jones’ and his podcast, InfoWars, were initially banned in 2018 for “abusive behavior.” This included his network’s directed hate towards many groups of people. However, profiting off his conspiracy theory around Sandy Hook school shooting may have been the most damning of the companies reasons.
Jones’ lies lead his believers to harass the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, in which a school shooter killed 20 children and six school employees. These families were already suffering from the loss of their loved ones, now they had to deal with harassment from Jones’ followers.
Courts have awarded the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting around $1.5 billion, with $1.1 billion unprotected by Jones’ claim of bankruptcy. They’re still waiting on their payout.
He’s Back!
Jones, like Kanye West, Donald Trump, former KKK leader David Duke, any large account banned for transphobia, and other hateful accounts, has been unbanned. Musk welcomed them back to his social network.
Musk initially claimed he would never let Alex Jones back on Twitter. He stated it was a moral stance, saying he had “no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.” Now, perhaps to profit from Jones’ controversy, Musk allowed Alex back.
Elon Musk posted a poll on his platform, asking users if he should let Alex Jones back. 70% of respondents, many his followers, responded he should. Musk agreed with a comment claiming “permanent account bans are antithetical to free speech,” and let Jones back on Twitter. SLAPP suits are also antithetical to free speech, but, while Musk has infinite forgiveness for hate speech and purveyors of the violence it leads to, he has no patience for criticism.
Musk didn’t have to put a poll on his platform. He didn’t have to ask a question he had to know the answer to. His platform is skewing right-wing. That’s Alex Jones’ base, and his own followers love that he’s dipped his toes into antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Jones’ initial ban was due to his conspiracy theories, which lead to harassment. Musk is no stranger to that. He’s promoted accounts that have been accused of stochastic terrorism for posting misinformation about individuals and even healthcare providers. This kind of hate has lead to harassment campaigns and even bomb threats at a children’s hospital. You can find it all on Twitter. Frankly, Alex Jones is home.
Jones used his first posts back to promote his video game, which is a 2D shooter about killing “zombie” scientists with vaccines, gay frogs, and pretty much anyone the far-right dislikes. It seems Jones is completely unapologetic.
Twitter’s Doom
Siding with the kind of people who are sued for over a billion dollars for spreading conspiracy theories and leading to harassment is hardly a good business decision. Jones’ case showed that conspiracy theorists and possibly even stochastic terrorists could be held accountable for what their followers do in their name. To side with harassers is to invite legal woes.
Besides the potential legal issues, no one wants to associate with these people professionally. Advertisers certainly don’t want to be associated with the kind of company that makes antisemitic people, racists, conspiracy theorists, and stochastic terrorists feel more comfortable than regular users. Who are they advertising to, a band of hateful, frothing at the mouth conspiracy theorists? There’s no value in that, and it can tarnish a brand. Creating an environment where people can speak hate more easily than their truth will not create a network that’s good for users or business. It silences free speech. People can not speak freely if they fear repercussion and the threat of violence. It seems the only free speech Musk is interested in defending is that of the hateful, even if it dooms his business.
Sources:
- Associated Press via NPR
- Chantelle Billson, PinkNews
- Nicki Brown, [CNN https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/28/us/sandy-hook-families-settlement-alex-jones/index.html)
- The Mary Sue Staff, The Mary Sue
- Ivana Saric, Axios