The case for NO....
The truth is the culture inside Twitter can not be changed.
There are two cultures that maintain Twitter. One is the culture of the users. The other is the culture of the staff. Clearly it is the staff who maintain control over the culture of the users.
Add to that fact that there are algorithms which establish the rules for conversation on Twitter. Clearly these algorithms are programed to reinforce the wishes of the staff.
Add to that fact that there is a revenue model which has made Twitter thrive from the sale of data. Clearly those who pay for user data are not interested in freedom of speech.
Add to that fact that Twitter is dying. This network of users has morphed into a blob that echoes the same messages each and every day.
The case for YES...
The truth is that Twitter is a network which can be restructured from the top down.
The challenge in this approach is that the levers which maintain the current structure are run from the bottom [staff] up not the top [management] down.
Taking up this challenge is full of risk but it can be done. Return Twitter to private ownership. Install a totally new management team. And shed staff as quickly as possible.
Add to that the commitment to move Twitter HQ from San Francisco to a very different cultural and judicial precinct.
Add to that a management which is committed to updating the revenue model. One possibility is to run the new entity as a utility service with a user pays revenue model.
The case for MAYBE....
The truth is Twitter has become a political network and as such it will be difficult to change.
Change from inside is almost impossible because it is a people-led system and the people who lead it like it just as it is today.
Change from the outside may well be resisted by politicians in Washington DC because they gain so many social benefits from Twitter as currently constituted.
Richard.
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