Seth Abramson

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

(To be clear, under this plan I’ve seen floated, no one willing to use Twitter under their real name would have to pay to use it. Only those who want to supply their name to Twitter via a payment and then post anonymously would pay. The platform would be free for everyone else.) — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

@mcgill256 @elonmusk Hi Scott, I am not sure you understand the plan as floated. If you are willing to use your real name on Twitter, you would not have to pay. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

I hope you’ll consider retweeting the first tweet in this thread. Maybe @ElonMusk will see it and consider taking some free advice from an attorney, journalist, digital culture theorist and verified Twitter user who is neither anonymous nor a troll nor a purveyor of hate speech. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

So when @StephenKing tells @ElonMusk what the score is, it is the only hope remaining for Musk and his new regime: to listen to those who have a vested interest in this platform succeeding in a way that lifts all boats and makes this a better community for *all* its participants. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

It’s also clear Musk isn’t going to get this advice from the far-right activists whose approval he seeks and whose agenda seeks to use him as an instrument. Or from major-media journalists who are blissing out on schadenfreude right now. Verified users might want to help, though. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Now, to be clear, that is what a serious person would do. What a serious businessman would do. A serious CEO. Someone who understands the platform and understands free speech. It’s not clear at this point that @ElonMusk is any of those things, or wants to be any of those things. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

So in one fell swoop @ElonMusk would gain an enormous amount of revenue—far more than charging verified users, who are dwarfed in number by those who wish to post anonymously—reduce his bot problem exponentially, eliminate most of his moderation problem, and be able to cut staff. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Those on Twitter who demand free speech without even the possibility of accountability—which of course is not what free speech is—will leave the platform rather than allow anyone anywhere to know who they are. Moderation incidents would drop by 90%, requiring less Twitter staff. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

The plan I saw floated—which is increasingly gaining steam on this platform—is one in which anonymous accounts must pay to continue posting anonymously or else lose their accounts. And yes, this would involve Twitter—privately—knowing who they are. That too is part of the point. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @SethAbramson: I saw someone say Twitter should do the opposite of what @ElonMusk wants and charge only anonymous users for posting here… — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

So @ElonMusk is like a sea captain who’s going to get his entire crew killed and his ship sunk because he’s looking into his brass telescope the wrong way round. And the rest of us must watch it all happen in slow motion as we debate whether to jump ship. It’s all so depressing. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Instead, @ElonMusk listened to the anonymous trolls who told him the *real* problem is that Twitter-verified users have a platform that enables them to help bring some accountability to those whose speech is hateful or otherwise vile. So Musk wants to punish those verified users. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

If @ElonMusk had ever spoken to a free speech-oriented scholar, theorist, attorney or journalist, he’d have known that the problem plaguing Twitter is anonymity far more so than moderation, as indeed the former issue encompasses the latter. But he was not intellectually curious. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

The easiest way to identify someone who doesn’t actually know what free speech is is to find those who not only want the right to say anything they like, but also be forever free of any repercussions for anything they say. This is what Musk has never understood about free speech. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Anonymity likely produces more than 90% of the incidents requiring moderation, because anonymity eliminates accountability—which, if @ElonMusk knew anything about how free speech is designed to work, he’d know is one of the *key abiding elements* of that core democratic concept. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Anonymity is a separate matter from moderation. @ElonMusk could have raised far more revenue, and ended the bot problem he says he wants to end, by tackling anonymity and keeping moderation policies steady. Indeed, tackling anonymity would reduce incidents requiring moderation. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

When one of the most prolific and valuable users on this platform, @StephenKing, tells @ElonMusk how far off-base he is in trying to fleece those who bring Twitter ad revenue, the *proper* response is for Elon to shut up and listen. That’s basically *all* he should be doing, now. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

I say this as one of the relatively few people Twitter founder Jack Dorsey was following on this site back when he was tweeting. Twitter felt my use and understanding of the platform was unique—*separate* from anything relating to my political views. Well, here’s what I say now. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

The result is the abject stupidity of @ElonMusk trying to publicly negotiate the price of charging Twitter’s top earners for the privilege of being Twitter’s top earners—even as vile trolls throw celebrations across the platform. And Musk really can’t see he’s off track? Really? — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

I’m not sure the world has ever seen someone with such grand ambitions so gleefully destroy his reputation, brand, and chance of achieving globe-transforming projects just to please a band of anonymous Nazis, racists and misogynists who don’t even know/care how free speech works. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

So here’s what I don’t get. I’d thought that—for all his fundamental unseriousness and puerile public conduct—@ElonMusk *did* care about going to Mars. Electric cars. The Hyperloop. Even, in his stupid way, peace in Europe. But I guess I was wrong, as he’s endangering all that. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

What it suggests is @ElonMusk hasn’t yet decided to take his work with Twitter seriously—probably because he has enough money not to worry about embarrassesing himself or failing utterly. This was all clear the moment he walked into Twitter HQ with a sink. This is a joke to him. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

What a smart person who’s earned his success would do, as @ElonMusk should’ve learned a long time ago, is listen more than they speak and not just bring in Tesla engineers with no concept of the platform—but spend time gaining the hard-won knowledge of people Musk already fired. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

To be honest, it sure seems like @ElonMusk purchased Twitter precipitously—with no due diligence or understanding of the platform—then took over the reins and started demanding changes to the platform again with no due diligence or understanding of the platform. So embarrassing. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

What I will say—as it’s factual—is that Twitter makes a lot of money off high-traffic verified accounts, but almost no money off anonymous trolls with no organic reach. So it seems odd that @ElonMusk aims to fleece those giving him free labor and coddle those ruining his product. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

I saw someone say Twitter should do the opposite of what @ElonMusk wants and charge only anonymous users for posting here, which would probably solve the bot problem and make us more accountable for what we say. Still, not advocating that solution, just noting someone floated it. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @SethAbramson: Anyone else feel this way? If you do, VOTE. https://t.co/5iTAyQcSh3 — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @SethAbramson: (ICYMI) EXCLUSIVE: The Harrowing Story of How—and Why—the Most Dangerous Woman in America Has Been Set on the Long Path T… — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

@InstigatorRules I think Lord of the Flies is more like what comes next if Republicans win. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Anyone else feel this way? If you do, VOTE. https://t.co/5iTAyQcSh3 — PolitiTweet.org