Questions raised over Twitter becoming neutral due to Elon Musk supporting Republican Party

Controversy has arisen over the world’s richest man Elon Musk using Twitter to promote the Republican Party in America. Musk recently purchased Twitter for approximately $44 billion. He has appealed to the voters on Twitter to vote for the Republican Party for the US mid-term elections.

Senior executives of tech companies stay away from political debates so that their companies are not accused of favoring any particular political party. Musk has been expressing his political views before also. However, this time his direct support of a party Twitter Questions are being raised on his ability to remain impartial. According to the Associated Press report, Musk tweeted, “Since the President is a Democrat, I recommend voting for the Republican Party.” Musk has earlier commented against the US government. Musk, chief executive of electric car maker Tesla, had said that the US government does not like his company.

Syracuse University professor Jennifer Stromer-Galley, who studies social media and politics, said, “These social media platforms are not just companies. It’s not just a business. It’s also our digital public space. It feels like That it is being privatized. When the chiefs of these companies point towards a particular side, it can harm our democracy.”

Musk has initiated major changes in the company after taking over Twitter. He has laid off a large number of staff in the company. Twitter has released an update to its iOS app which also introduces a new Twitter Blue subscription with some changes. Musk has been promoting this subscription through his tweets. Twitter Blue subscribers will automatically get a blue checkmark on their profile, which was previously only given to verified accounts of corporates, celebrities and well-known individuals. For Blue Tick, Twitter users will have to pay $7.99 per month in the US. Musk has indicated that its charge will be decided by the purchasing power of people in other countries.