Spotlight — A Bigger Picture on Elon & Twitter

04/26/22 • 13 min

2 Listeners

If Elon Musk owns Twitter, what are the risks and what are the opportunities? In order for Twitter to support democracy — and Musk’s goal of becoming a multi-planetary civilization — we need a radical redesign that goes beyond free speech.

Note: this conversation was recorded on April 21, 2022. That was 3 days prior to the official purchase announcement, which revealed that Elon Musk will buy Twitter for $44 billion.

Clarification: In the episode, we talk about the creation of The Daily Show, featuring Jon Stewart. To be clear, The Daily Show was created by writer and producer Madeleine Smithberg and comedian and media personality Lizz Winstead — for comedian and host Craig Kilborn. Jon Stewart took over in 1999, which is when he had the conversation with executives that we reference in the episode, where he didn't want to see the viewership numbers.

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Examining algorithmic amplification of political content on Twitter

Polarization of Twitter (Knight Foundation)

Pew Research on the political extremes drowning out centrist voices on Twitter

Chronological feed vs algorithm (Computational Journalism Lab)
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Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

Note: this conversation was recorded on April 21, 2022. That was 3 days prior to the official purchase announcement, which revealed that Elon Musk will buy Twitter for $44 billion.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

Examining algorithmic amplification of political content on Twitter

Polarization of Twitter (Knight Foundation)

Pew Research on the political extremes drowning out centrist voices on Twitter

Chronological feed vs algorithm (Computational Journalism Lab)
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

Previous Episode

What Is Civil War in the Digital Age? — with Barbara F. Walter

Civil war might be the most likely escalation pathway towards disaster for our country. On the flip side, learning how to avoid civil conflict — and more ambitiously, repair our civic fabric — might have the greatest leverage for addressing the challenges we face.

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Together, we explore what makes for a healthy liberal democracy, why democracies worldwide are in decline, and the role of resentment and hope. Join us in an exploration of the generator functions for civil war in the digital age, and how we might prevent them.
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How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them

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Political Violence At A Glance

An award-winning online magazine about the causes and consequences of violence and protest, co-authored by Barbara and other experts

The Center for Systemic Peace

Publications, analysis, and other resources from the organizations that measures for democracies and anocracies on a 21-point scale
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Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

Next Episode

How To Free Our Minds — with Cult Deprogramming Expert Dr. Steven Hassan

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Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_