Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover: What will it mean for users?

The world’s richest man has struck a deal to buy Twitter. Here’s what Elon Musk may be planning for the tech giant’s future.

The world’s richest man has struck a deal to buy one of the world’s biggest social networks for $US44bn in one of the most expensive tech deals on record.

But what does Elon Musk intend to do with his new purchase if the deal is approved by shareholders? And will Twitter look different to users?

This is what we know so far about future of Twitter (and a potential edit button).

JUST HOW BIG IS TWITTER?

While Twitter is one of the most talked-about social networks, it has fewer users than many of its peers.

The company known for its bird logo boasts 436 million monthly active users, according to Statista, making it a distant follower to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram.

In Australia, the company boasts 5.8 million active users — a number that has remained steady.

Twitter headquarters is shown on April 25, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

But despite its smaller user base compared to other firms, Twitter is influential and has become a platform for companies, politicians, celebrities and even emergency services to issue public statements.

WHY ARE CRITICS CONCERNED ABOUT MUSK’S TWITTER TAKEOVER?

Musk’s ongoing focus on no-holds-barred free speech may include allowing the most vocal trolls and sources of disinformation to remain on the platform, despite the company’s past efforts to remove them.

In March, for example, after providing Starlink satellite internet services to Ukraine, Musk vowed not to block Russian news sources “unless at gunpoint,” saying he was a “free speech absolutist”.

In response to his deal for Twitter, he said: “free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated”.

Critics have expressed concern Elon Musk could remove bans on users if he takes over the company. Picture: Nicholas Kamm and Brendan Smialowski / AFP

His stance could leave the door open for those banned from using Twitter to return to the service, including high-profile users like right-wing troll Milo Yiannopoulos who led harassment of a Ghostbusters star before his permanent suspension, rapper Azealia Banks who issued a slew of transphobic and homophobic tweets about who should access Covid vaccines, “Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, who publicly harassed a journalist, and former US President Donald Trump who spread misinformation to a wide audience using the platform.

Trump has said he will not return to the service, despite protesting his ban earlier, telling Fox News he will instead begin using his own social network, Truth, in the coming days.

Twitter allows users to report harassment they receive on the service, and “hide” offensive tweets sent in response to their own tweets. It’s not clear how that would continue.

COULD MUSK BE GOOD FOR TWITTER’S SERVICE?

Just days ago, Musk promised he would “defeat the spam bots or die trying” and “authenticate all real humans”.

Both should be welcome acts for regular Twitter users.

The platform has taken actions against spammers in the past and a 2018 study estimated one in every 21 tweets sent was spam.

It’s not clear how Musk plans to authenticate users at this stage but it could be a controversial addition.

Elon Musk is a long-time Twitter user. Picture: Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Right now, Twitter only requires an email address from users to create an account, though users with a verified blue tick must provide a government-issued ID.

If Musk introduces a similar scheme, it could be unpopular with the services active users, though would mimic proposals discussed in a recent Australian parliamentary inquiry.

WILL TWITTER GET AN EDIT BUTTON UNDER MUSK?

Musk ran his own poll about the popularity of an edit button — a feature long requested by Twitter users — on April 5.

The result was an overwhelming “yes” with more than 73 per cent requesting it.

But there is a chance Twitter will get the feature regardless of its new ownership.

Soon after Musk’s poll, the company revealed it has been working on the idea since 2021 and would test the feature with paying users “in the coming months to learn what works, what doesn’t and what’s possible”.

While an ongoing demand, an edit button could be problematic on the social network as it could alter content that other users have already retweeted, for example.

Nonetheless, there is a strong chance that Musk could accelerate its development.

Originally published as Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover: What will it mean for users?