'Twitter as we know it is dead': Why Elon Musk's plans risk more scams and misinformation
Twitter has been under Elon Musk's control for barely a week, and as well as laying off thousands of workers, it appears his plan to start charging verified usersBut his push to improve Twitter's finances has prompted social media experts to warn he risks allowing more scams and disinformation on the platform., a social networking app with 20 million users, tells Insider."The company is now owned and run by one person.
Kit Chapman of Falmouth University's School of Communication in southwest England, tells Insider that the risks of making"Verification has nothing to do with wealth, and everything to do with credibility," he says. "Many journalists can't afford to pay almost $100 [a year] to prove who they are, and as soon as stories begin to spread beyond a user's immediate followers, this can have a devastating effect on recognizing trustworthy, reputable sources.
"The second problem is that, by extending verification to everyone, it's possible to spoof accounts: anyone can change their photo and name to appear to be, say, Elon Musk – imagine that happening with a verified sticker next to it. You'd have to be extra careful not to get taken in by a fake." Hate speech has always been a problem for social media platforms, Chapman says."Social media is rife with coded language, false accounts set up to spread disinformation, and cunning use of free-speech to misdirect and derail honest debate."
As Chapman puts it, free speech advocates love to talk about speech"as if it is somehow disconnected from action", but the recent attack on
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