Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, engineer and one of the most prominent figures of the modern age. As the charismatic leader of Tesla Motors, SpaceX and Solar City, his innovative projects have permanently reshaped industries and changed the way we think about business and science. Recently, he has had a direct influence on social media, more specifically, Twitter.
Having over 41.8 million followers, the self-proclaimed tech-savvy CEO was often accused of over-scepticism when it came to Twitter. In 2020, he made the bold move of taking control of the platform to help it combat misinformation and become a more secure platform.
Prior to his involvement, Twitter had already started taking steps to address issues of fake news and hate speech, by adding fact-checking links and updating its content policies. Musk saw the need for a change and took it upon himself to take Twitter in a new direction.
He began by promoting algorithmic transparency as a way to combat malicious bots perpetuating false news and unchecked sources. This resulted in the algorithm’s output being more consistent and accurate — allowing users to know more about the conversations their posts will receive. Musk also sought to build a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence system that would work to identify malicious content, tagging it for manual removal when necessary.
Another major change that Musk made was to add a “verified” badge to some users’ profiles. By doing this, users were able to make sure that their sources were legitimate and that the content they received was accurate. A “verified” Twitter account also deters potential trolls from attacking a user’s content.
Musk also increased the character limit to 280 which gave users the freedom to express their thoughts in more detail, while still keeping it brief enough for the average user to be able to read it quickly. These briefer character imposed limits also had the additional benefit of curtailing hate speech and reducing the chances of a disagreement or misunderstanding between users.
In recent years, Twitter has seen huge growth in the number of users, with over 330 million daily active users. Musk’s long-term goal has been to increase the platform’s popularity while also keeping it free from the hate, trolling and spread of misinformation — and he has made great strides in accomplishing just that.
User-Friendly Interface
In his bid to make the platform more user-friendly and intuitive, Elon Musk upgraded the existing design, improved the navigation and added several new features. He organized tweets in the new “lists” feature, allowing users to categorize them into topics and search for related tweets more easily than before.
He also made it easier for users to find and follow topics, by introducing the “trending topics” feature. Now, if users search for a particular keyword or hashtag, they’ll see an organized list of the most popular and relevant tweets on that topic. Additionally, Elon Musk also improved notifications and the direct message feature to make it easier for users to communicate and interact with each other.
Increased Personalization
In an effort to make users’ feeds more personalized and relevant to their interests, Elon Musk updated the algorithm to better factor in each user’s preferences. His new algorithm also assigns a score to each tweet, taking into account its engagement rate, recency, and relevance to the user.
In addition to the algorithm, he also made it possible for users to tailor their feed to only show tweets from those they follow. Now, users won’t have to sift through their timeline trying to find their friends’ tweets since they’ll all appear in the same place.
Monetization Model
Elon Musk also introduced a monetization model that gives users the freedom to make money while tweeting, by turning tweets into sponsored posts or featured ads. The model works by allowing users to link their PayPal, Venmo, or Stripe accounts to their Twitter profiles, so they can receive payments directly from brands for their tweets. This model has enabled both brands and users to benefit from Twitter without compromising the user experience.
Enhanced Security
As someone who’s been constantly under attack from trolls and misinformation, Elon Musk knows the importance of security. To this end, he has taken several steps to enhance Twitter’s security and make it easier for users to report inappropriate content. He also implemented two-factor authentication on all accounts, which helps keep sensitive information private and secure.
Algorithamic Improvements
In addition to all of the changes mentioned above, Elon Musk has also made several improvements to the algorithm that powers the platform. For example, he has improved the “recommendations” feature, which helps users discover content they may be interested in. He has also made it easier to search for content, by increasing the relevance of search results and adding hashtags and other filters. Finally, he has added the ability to create personalized interest lists, allowing users to easily monitor conversations related to their interests.
Preserving Free Speech
One of the biggest changes that Elon Musk has introduced is the ability to preserve free speech on the platform. His policy of allowing any post, no matter how controversial, has made Twitter a more open platform for discussions and debates. This policy has also made it easier for users to express their controversial opinions without fear of being censored or silenced.
Attracting New Users
In his efforts to make Twitter more appealing to a larger audience, Elon Musk has significantly increased the appeal of the platform. He has implemented campaigns that focus on youth engagement and digital literacy, as well as creating an “explore” section to help new users discover content that interests them. He has also made it easier for users to share content with friends and family, as well as adding a built-in translation feature, making it easier to communicate with users from all over the world.
Data Protection and Privacy
It’s also worth mentioning that Elon Musk has put data protection and privacy at the top of his list of priorities. To this end, he has implemented several steps to protect user data and make sure that it is not shared with third parties without their consent. This includes the introduction of an opt-in system for data collection, as well as enabling users to delete their data if they no longer wish to use the platform.
Future Changes
Elon Musk’s changes to Twitter have been widely acclaimed and have already made a major impact on the platform. It is clear that he has a clear vision for the platform and is committed to making it a safer and more user-friendly space for its users. While it is impossible to know exactly what the future holds for Twitter, it is definitely safe to say that each move that Elon Musk makes will be highly beneficial to the platform.
