The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk caused a wave of indignation, and some politicians, journalists, and news anchors turned out to be the loudest critics. However, according to The Harris Poll conducted by Fortune, a large proportion of ordinary Americans support such an initiative by the head of Tesla and SpaceX, and believe that it will have a positive impact on freedom of speech and on the platform itself.
Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter caused a lot of buzz, in large part because the company's board of directors drew a lot of attention by launching a poison pill strategy. The desire of the head of Tesla and SpaceX to turn Twitter into a platform on which freedom of speech will flourish has made many politicians and representatives of news publications nervous. Wanting to fight windmills by creating fictitious problems where there are none, instead of solving the real problems of society, they attacked Musk, pointing out that he should not own Twitter.
However, the loud and insincere statements of accounts with millions of followers on Twitter do not at reflect the opinion of all Americans, which is confirmed by the survey data. Fortune, conducted a poll through The Harris Poll after Musk expressed a desire to buy Twitter, but before the deal was announced. According to the data, 59% of Americans said that they either somewhat or strongly supported Musk's acquisition of the social media platform, especially millennials, of whom 71% expressed their approval.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO enjoyed majority support across every demographic, though men reported supporting it more often than women (65 to 53%), Republicans more often compared to Democrats (71% to 53%), and millennials (25 to 40-year-olds) more often (65%) compared to any other generation.
Overall, 68% of those polled believe that the changes Musk will make will have a positive impact on Twitter. Seven out of ten Americans believe that he will improve the profitability of the platform. Two of three Americans also expect him to improve Twitter as a product.
Millennials are Musk's staunchest supporters. Three out of four expect him to have a positive impact on Twitter's free speech and profitability. Over 70% of millennials believe he will improve Twitter as a product. According to the survey, millennials also tend to believe that billionaires buying media companies is a good thing for democracy (71%), freedom of the press (72%), and free speech on the internet (73%).
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said after the deal had been announced.
© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
