Elon Musk says he wants to create a new social media platform that “rigorously adheres” to free speech principles, after appearing to criticise Twitter for its stringent moderation policies.
In a new tweet, Musk asked his 79 million followers whether a new platform was needed, after stating that “free speech is essential to a functioning democracy”.
The Tesla CEO said Twitter currently operates as the “de facto public town square” as it is arguably the most popular social media platform for sharing thoughts, insights and memes about trending topics.
However, he believes a failure to give some users a platform “undermines democracy” and went on to say that he was considering building an alternative for free speech advocates.
However, Musk did not reveal any further details about what a new platform would be like or how exactly it would be different.
And as he is renowned for his frequent outbursts on social media, it might just be that Twitter is the latest thing to draw his ire.
Twitter has not responded to Musk’s comments directly, but it has reiterated in the past that it unequivocally supports freedom of expression.
Responding to the news, social media consultant Matt Navarra said Musk is the latest high-profile individual with a “polarizing presence” online to talk about building new platforms.
Navarra says these individuals are drawn to the idea of creating their own content moderation rules that are more relaxed than on Twitter and Facebook.
However, attempts to create “alt” platforms have floundered in the past as they typically don’t have enough financial capital, talented engineers or willing users to succeed.
Whether that will be true for Musk – if and when he follows up on his comments – remains to be seen.
