John Oliver discusses how Twitter, renamed to X after Elon Musk's purchase in October 2022, has significantly deteriorated (0:04-1:09). Musk's stated goal of protecting free speech and correcting a perceived left-wing bias has, according to the video, led to a much darker reality (1:11-2:12).
Key changes and their consequences include:
Verification System Overhaul (2:56-4:10): The blue checkmark, once a sign of verified identity, became available to anyone paying $8 a month. This led to widespread impersonations and misinformation from fake accounts, making it harder to distinguish trustworthy sources (3:10-4:16).
Reduced Trust and Safety Staff (4:18-4:27): Musk drastically cut the global trust and safety staff, including over 50% of content moderators, impairing the platform's ability to deal with harmful content.
Reinstatement of Banned Accounts (4:30-5:15): Many accounts previously banned for abusive behavior, inciting violence, or spreading white supremacist and QAnon content were reinstated, turning the site into a "fertile breeding ground for hatred and misinformation" (5:16-5:22).
Misinformation During Crises (5:22-6:05): The video highlights the platform's unreliability during breaking news events, such as the October 7th attacks in Israel, where a significant amount of misinformation circulated from misleading blue-checked accounts.
Monetization of Content (6:06-8:09): Twitter began paying "creators" based on engagement from other premium users, incentivizing provocative and often untrue content. Some accounts, particularly on the far-right, have earned substantial amounts.
Foreign Influence and Algorithms (8:10-11:21): The video reveals that many seemingly American-based accounts promoting specific political views were actually operated from other countries. Experiments also suggest Twitter's algorithm pushes a disproportionate amount of right-wing content to all users, regardless of their political orientation.
Elon Musk's Personal Influence (11:22-13:42): Musk has shown a willingness to tweak the algorithm for personal reasons, such as boosting his own tweets after they received less engagement than President Biden's. This has resulted in his posts being heavily promoted to the entire user base.
Government Dependence and Real-World Impact (13:46-21:57): The U.S. government, particularly the Trump administration, has become troublingly dependent on Twitter, with officials taking cues and even opening investigations based on social media trends and unverified "internet leads." This dependence can lead to significant real-world consequences, as seen with federal agents being sent to Minnesota based on a flimsy viral video about daycare fraud (21:43-21:47).
International Incitement to Violence (22:09-25:40): The video demonstrates how misinformation on Twitter can directly lead to violence, citing an incident in Southport, England, where false claims about a knife attacker's identity fueled nationwide riots targeting mosques and hotels (23:53-24:03).
In conclusion, John Oliver states that the Twitter people once relied on for news and connection is "well and truly gone" (29:51-29:57), and that for breaking news, it is now an "active liability" (29:37-29:39) with little in the way of guardrails against false information.
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