Poll: Americans Give Overwhelmingly Positive Verdict on Elon Musks' Twitter Acquisition
The reaction to Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter this week was swift and fierce.
While some celebrities and others on the left have sworn to leave the platform due to Musk’s commitment to free speech, a new poll shows that most Americans support Musk.
Rasmussen Reports found that 62 percent of Americans believe Musk will make Twitter better. Only 13 percent think Twitter will get worse under the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Twelve percent think the new ownership will not make much difference, and another 13 percent are unsure.
The poll was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults on Tuesday and Wednesday with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. A majority of those surveyed use Twitter several times a week, while 30 percent use Twitter every day or almost every day.
After Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion on Monday, several high-profile users who had previously been banned announced their return to the site.
Rapper Ice Cube had been “shadow-banned” (meaning that his account existed but was not visible in searches or feeds) and rejoiced that Musk was taking over.
“Free at last!” he tweeted on Monday.
Free at last! @elonmusk take off my shadow ban homie…
— Ice Cube (@icecube) April 25, 2022
Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was recently suspended for endorsing tweets that referred to Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine as a man, simply tweeted, “We’re back.”
We’re back.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 25, 2022
But while many users are cheering Musk’s Twitter takeover, others are lamenting his plans to promote free speech on the platform.
“Political activists expect that a Musk regime will mean less moderation and reinstatement of banned individuals including former President Donald Trump,” Reuters reported.
Actress Jameela Jamil tweeted that she would be leaving Twitter because she believes Musk’s changes will “help this hell platform reach its final form of totally lawless hate, bigotry, and misogyny.”
Ah he got twitter. I would like this to be my what lies here as my last tweet. Just really *any* excuse to show pics of Barold. I fear this free speech bid is going to help this hell platform reach its final form of totally lawless hate, bigotry, and misogyny. Best of luck. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fBDOuEYI3e
— Jameela Jamil ? (@jameelajamil) April 25, 2022
Musk has made it clear that he wants Twitter to be an arena for open public discourse.
“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,” he tweeted after the deal went through.
“Twitter has tremendous potential — I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.”
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