Juno News - November 23, 2022


The media wants you think Twitter is on the ropes


Episode Stats

Length

3 minutes

Words per Minute

183.82416

Word Count

722

Sentence Count

36


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Now, if you were a real journalist, the democratization of information, the opening of free speech on the internet, would be cause for celebration.
00:00:07.480 It's the kind of thing you'd supposedly love to see, after all, that's what real journalism is.
00:00:11.740 But, of course, to Canada's legacy media, it is seen as a threat to their monopoly on the news, their control of the information, and fundamentally, their total ownership of the narrative.
00:00:21.680 Prior to Elon Musk's decision to reinstate Jordan Peterson and bring back Donald Trump's account, Canada's legacy media had been trying to spin the narrative that Twitter is crumbling, that Twitter can't possibly survive, there's no way they can possibly survive this, Twitter must be on the brink, they're on the ropes.
00:00:38.980 Now, just listen to the way some of these Canadian legacy media journalists talk about Twitter, as though it's about to just literally collapse, as though the lights are going to be turned off.
00:00:48.200 This is the way CBC reported on the mass layoffs.
00:00:50.960 Twitter appears to be on the brink.
00:00:53.960 There were fresh questions this morning about how long the company can hang on.
00:00:57.740 Twitter, the world's unofficial town crier, it's become absolutely essential for vital implications, or vital communications, rather.
00:01:04.700 What are the implications if it were to collapse?
00:01:07.040 Yeah, this is really the poster child of all chat rooms out there, and one of the originals, that this is where, you know, politicians of all stripes, the White House, the U.S. President, the Canadian Prime Minister, and a slew of politicians around the world use this.
00:01:19.480 As far as an internet chat room, and really it wrote the rule books as far as how we now communicate.
00:01:25.700 So the imagination of this disappearing from the landscape is truly almost unimaginable.
00:01:32.420 Take a look. This one is from Global News.
00:01:34.140 But Musk's puzzling maneuvers and erratic online presence have some observers suggesting he's in over his head.
00:01:41.360 The equivalent of asking the plumber to come in and wire up your house and do all your electrics.
00:01:45.980 Elon Musk, the engineer, trying to solve problems when he should be thinking not about engineering tactics, but about social tactics, and how to deal with a business that is a social business.
00:01:58.460 It's a communications company.
00:02:00.060 It's not a rocket company.
00:02:01.420 Under the hashtag RIP Twitter, reactions range from attempts at humor to more serious reflections about Twitter's role in advancing human rights and justice.
00:02:11.780 There are some who say Musk could still succeed if he finds the right replacement staff, and by expanding Twitter for things like mobile payments and food delivery.
00:02:21.160 They say if the turmoil continues, though, it could invite government intervention, something that would not sit well with a free speech purist like Musk.
00:02:29.580 And, of course, one of our favorite news outlets on Ratio, CTV News.
00:02:33.960 Why do you think Musk is taking this approach, and how do you think it's going to pan out for him?
00:02:38.560 I mean, this is a company in crisis.
00:02:40.820 And, you know, his other companies have been in crisis before, and he's sent those similar messages as well.
00:02:45.620 And it kind of turned things around.
00:02:47.320 What's different here is that he's coming in really late in the game, and he's essentially telling his workforce to either do it my way or hit the road.
00:02:54.640 He's asking you to commit to this crazy work ethic, but at the same time, he isn't telling you what the reward is.
00:03:01.120 And that, I think, is ultimately going to be the seeds of Twitter's and Elon Musk's doom.
00:03:05.520 This is not how you play ball when you're the new sheriff in town.
00:03:08.120 Meanwhile, as the hashtag RIP Twitter trend rages with the platform and Canada's legacy media desperately trying to spin the narrative that Twitter is on the brink,
00:03:16.980 Elon Musk just reported an all-time record high in users.
00:03:20.560 No kidding, who could have thought that censoring news, banning accounts for daring to question gender ideology,
00:03:27.380 and just overall creating a toxic environment was detrimental to viewers?
00:03:31.620 And then, of course, bringing back Donald Trump, bringing back Jordan Peterson, reinstating the Babylon Bee,
00:03:36.920 and making Twitter fun again, making Twitter great again.
00:03:39.600 Well, all of a sudden, Twitter users come back.
00:03:41.140 Who could have possibly guessed?
00:03:42.360 Who could have guessed?