“Twitter will disappear”

Tanya von Arxforeign editor

Since Elon Musk (51) took over Twitter, 62,000 accounts previously blocked for hate speech and incitement to violence have been reactivated. The same goes for former US President Donald Trump (76). In addition, Musk has laid off about half of the 7,500 employees responsible for moderating critical messages.

The multi-billionaire Musk actually wanted to turn Twitter into a lucrative business. But his intentions seem to be reversed by the changes. One cup followed another since the purchase. The fact that the tech giant Apple recently stopped advertising on the San Francisco (US) based social media platform and even wants to ban Twitter from the App Store, caused people to look up. Because since the takeover of Musk, the platform has become increasingly rushed again. However, Apple requires app operators not to allow such content.

Someone who can properly assess the situation is Nandini Jammi (34). She makes a damning judgment. Jammi is an American fire safety activist and consultant. She made a name for herself in 2016 by collecting advertisements on propaganda and conspiracy sites through the “Sleeping Giants” Twitter account. For example on Breitbart News, a nationalist website close to Trump. The problem was that advertising agencies often did not know where their advertisements were published. It might happen that their ads appeared on dubious websites. This damaged the affected companies’ brands and many of them changed their advertising strategy as a result.

“Brands suffer in such an environment”

Jammi tells Blick, “Twitter is a sinking ship.” Since the Musk acquisition, advertisers are no longer in a safe area. On the contrary: “The brands suffer from such an environment.” Many would therefore no longer place advertisements. And: “Advertisers who leave don’t come back.”

On Musk’s behavior in declaring war on Apple, Jammi says, “It’s never a good idea to rush at advertisers.” The fundamental problem is that Musk has destroyed trust in Twitter. “Due to the restructuring, disinformation is dominating and Twitter now offers a platform for extremism.”

“Toxic mix of Musk and Twitter brands”

Jammi also says, “The mixing of the Musk brand and the Twitter brand is toxic.” The friendly line Elon Musk is taking is incompatible with the guidelines needed to make a social platform a safe place for brands and their reputation.

Is there a way out? “Musk should reset all its measures,” Jammi said. He should restore confidence in the platform among both users and companies. And also recreate the canceled jobs. Last but not least, the laid-off employees have ensured that Twitter is a safe place for advertisers, Jammi emphasises. “Twitter therefore needs clear content policies — both in the US and around the world.”