What does the Musk era mean for Twitter’s journalists? 

Musk’s twitter takeover has sent shockwaves through the online and social media world.  

Questions have been asked about what this means for journalists given the vital role the platform has played in the UK commentary for the last ten years.  But what will the impact of Musk’s takeover actually mean for journalists, and should we be worried? 

Verification- What will change? 

After a month, the changes to verification are still not live. Despite some false starts, most users still don’t have access to this tool. Musk has repeatedly attempted to launch the ‘Twitter Blue’ feature which will allow users to pay $8 to get the blue tick next to their name.  

For individuals this could be good news. Musk has spoken of his desire to “empower (the) people”, but this could lead to an increase in disinformation and ‘fake news’, masked as a push to ‘give power to the people’. 

“Widespread verification will democratize journalism & empower the voice of the people”

@elonmusk

For publications this could be a very costly change. Currently the ‘blue tick’ means an individual is ‘authentic, notable and active’ which is important for journalists. But under the new plan newspaper publishers could be left to decide whether it’s worth the investment.  

Will journalists move away from Twitter? 

We are yet to see a move away from the platform en masse. Twitter has been the social media home of journalists for over ten years, and it remains significant in the way that people source, report and distribute journalism.  

Where will people go? 

Twitter’s competitors are a long way behind them. LinkedIn is one potential heir to Twitter’s throne but lacks the broad reach and number of users that Twitter has. LinkedIn, as of September 2022, had 19 million users in the UK, compared to Twitter’s 30 million.  

What about Mastodon? 

Mastodon, the much talked about possible alternative to Musk’s Twitter, is also trailing. Despite the platform reaching 1 million active users, the user experience and reach is vastly different. 

For journalists, this could mean they are more able to connect with others within their own profession, but less able to speak to a wider audience. At this point, it seems unlikely to take over as the primary home for journalists.  

Should we be worried?

There are undeniably strong feelings regarding Musk’s ownership of Twitter, but it seems at this point there is no clear alternative for users and journalists to turn to. For now, due to the repeated false starts of ‘Twitter Blue’, there haven’t been too many noticeable changes to verification and the way we use twitter day to day, for now, has stayed the same.