NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Since the social media company Twitter was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk, Black users have seen an increase of racist and hateful trolling. As a result, several prominent Black celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Toni Braxton, and Shonda Rhimes have chosen to either deactivate their accounts or log off permanently.
What happens if the many more members of the Black community decide to follow suit? Is a mass exodus inevitable?
On the latest episode of "Beyond Black History Month," we sit down with scholar Henry Louis Gates and discuss how strong and important communication has always been within the Black community. We also speak with professor and researcher Deen Freelon to learn what happens to Black creativity and Black culture when free outlets like Twitter are threatened.
What you should know:
• A recent study conducted by Montclair State University found that mere hours after Elon Musk had officially acquired Twitter there was a spike in the amount of “vulgar and hostile” rhetoric being expressed.
• Those conducting the study were able to document nearly 5,000 unique tweets featuring various forms of hate speech within a single 12-hour period.
• A separate study done by The Network Contagion Research Institute found that use of the n-word on the platform increased 500% on the day Elon Musk became in charge.
• Prior to owning the platform, Musk proclaimed that he was a champion of free speech and that it is “the bedrock of a functioning democracy.” He also insisted that Twitter would be “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity [could be] debated.”
• Aside from cracking down on accounts impersonating him, Musk has yet to acknowledge or take any action against the increase of hate speech on the platform.
What our experts say:
• Henry Louis Gates says, “There is a way that you develop the means of communication if your life depends on it.”
• He adds that he believes the Black community and culture will always find a new way to thrive because, “our racial [lives], our racial selves, the lives of our racial self depends on communication.”
• Professor Deen Freelon compares where Elon Musk’s Twitter is headed to the TSA PreCheck line at airports, especially with his new verification policies already in place.
• He believes that those who do wind up paying for recognition are all going to get “jammed up at the top. And everybody else is going to their own section away from all of that.”
• Whether that’s for better or for worse, he also believes that despite being partially named after the app, Black Twitter can migrate anywhere because it’s carried by culture’s passion and people.
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