Just two weeks after paying $44 billion for Twitter, Elon Musk has completely wrecked the social media firm. Advertisers are rushing away, actual neo-Nazis are becoming verified, and imposter accounts are rife. Additionally, Musk must find a means to pay the $1.2 billion in debt payments due annually or risk the company’s insolvency.
With no overarching strategy in sight, Musk is obviously just trying to change Twitter depending on vibes. Even if the “official” verification symbol has made a comeback for unknown reasons, many accounts that paid $8 to become verified have continued to pose as organisations, governments, celebrities, and companies.
A few examples are a false Kari Lake account claiming to have lost her election in Arizona, a fake SpaceX account boasting about its huge government contracts, and a fake Apple account attempting to sell physical air.
Also read: Who owns Eli Lilly? Pharma company loses billions after fake Twitter account promises free insulin
“Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include ‘parody’ in their name, not just in bio,” Musk tweeted on Thursday night.
“To be more precise, accounts doing parody impersonations. Basically, tricking people is not ok,” Musk added.
“We’re adding a “Parody” subscript to clarify,” he further clarified on Friday.
Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist,” yet at Twitter, that idea has obviously been thrown out the window. But his attempt to “democratise” the checkmark has given rise to a huge number of impostor accounts, which are amusing until the legal battles begin. Unbelievably, Twitter didn’t implement verification until it was sued in 2009 for a phony account for White Sox manager Tony La Russa.
Also read: Elon Musk says media talk about Twitter ‘failing’ is driving its ‘massive growth’
The pharmaceutical conglomerate Eli Lilly & Co. was impersonated by one such imposter Twitter account created under the revised Twitter Blue system that offered free insulin, causing the Indianapolis company to post an apology. Other politicians, celebrities from the sports world, Nintendo, and Lockheed Martin were all impersonated on social media.
Because of Musk’s volatile leadership of the platform, which saw the dismissal of half of its workers and other high-profile departures, there have been doubts about its viability. The creation of false accounts may be the turning moment for advertisers who have paused their Twitter advertising.
