There's little reason to thank Elon Musk. He’s rapidly becoming not just the thoroughly obnoxious brat he’s long been in business, but a deeply dangerous character internationally and politically.
However, thanks to Musk we’ll soon be able to make rather important judgements about politicians and journalists. Musk is pursuing two key policies as part of his recent acquisition of the hell-portal that’s Twitter. Firstly, he’s turning it in a disinformation free-for-all, where hate and abuse run riot, and truth and fact are crushed under a barrage of lies, fake news and conspiracy theories.
Secondly, he’s set to charge users for their ‘blue tick’ verification: a badge worn by many politicians and journalists. Full disclosure: I’ve got one. However, the big question is: who’ll be prepared to pay for verification on Musk’s iteration of social media.
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If you pay, then you’re clearly endorsing disinformation over truth and decency in return for either some strange notion of celebrity or a pathetic ego-stroke. This will be a sure means of identifying who is and isn’t trustworthy here in Scotland, Britain and the wider western world.
Imagine if Nicola Sturgeon chose to pay to renew her blue tick, but Anas Sarwar declined? Or Douglas Ross pays to retain his verification but Sturgeon refuses? It would be a convenient stick with which to beat political opponents. ‘Look,’ politicians could yell at each other, ‘they’re paying money to a site that’s streaming disinformation into millions of homes.’
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