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How costly freedom of speech is these days? In a world increasingly flawed by authoritarianism, the world’s richest man decided to invest $44 billion to protect free speech in social media. What a paradox, isn’t it? This space, which was allegedly created with the supposed intention of allowing people to express themselves freely, has gradually turned into a den of censorship where the thought police amplified their dominance, censored dissent, and amplified their talking points without resistance.
Today those days, fortunately, seem to be over, at least on Twitter, after Elon Musk decided to take over the company and declared that he is an absolute supporter of free speech: “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,” the entrepreneur published in a statement on his account.
The news of Musk’s purchase of Twitter pleased millions of people who have felt censored on social networks in recent years, however, the news did not please the White House. Immediately upon hearing the news of Musk’s acquisition of the social network, WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki said: “(Biden) has long argued that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harms they cause.”
It is clear that Musk will win many admirers for uncaging the little blue bird, but now he has gained great and powerful enemies, including the current President of the United States and the entire Democratic Party, which, curiously, despite its name and far from promoting democratic debates, has been promoting censorship for a while now, with the purpose—of course—of controlling narratives and silencing dissidents.
Today, those who promote freedom of speech and the debate of ideas—among whom I include myself—are celebrating Musk’s purchase of Twitter, but let no one close their eyes and cross their arms. With such powerful enemies of freedom, we will surely see the entire DNC machine working to create a new army of regulations and thought police with the purpose of ruining the longed-for dream of free speech.
Emmanuel Rincón is a lawyer, writer, novelist and essayist. He has won several international literary awards. He is Editor-at-large at El American // Emmanuel Rincón es abogado, escritor, novelista y ensayista. Ganador de diversos premios literarios internacionales. Es editor-at-large en El American