Celebrities are leaving Twitter after billionaire Elon Musk took over the social media platform, raising considerations about his leadership.
Shortly after the Tesla founder took over from Twitter, trolls filled the site with hate speech and Nazi memes, raising fears that the social media platform would become a hotbed of hate online.
One tweet, a racial slur in capital letters, was retweeted more than 700 times and liked more than 5,000 times. Other accounts have included stikas such as profile pictures, glorifying Nazi Germany and tweets denouncing the LGBTQ community.
Writer and producer Shonda Rhimes was among the first to announce she was leaving the site, tweeting Saturday that she “won’t be waiting for everything Elon has planned. Goodbye. “
– Shonda Rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 29, 2022
In addition to Rhimes, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles also tweeted that she would be leaving the social media platform on Sunday, saying:
“Well. It’s been a laugh in Twitter. Me I’m going. See you soon on other platforms, kisses. Sorry, this one is just for me.
Billion-dollar showrunner Brian Koppelman also disabled his account and asked enthusiasts on TikTok and Instagram.
“All of you, really, come and look for me on Instagram and the tok. I’m going to get out there to take a break from here for a minute or a month as the shutdown approaches,” Koppelman said.
Since Musk took over the social media platform, the changes have been minimal, with the exception of Musk firing the CEO and chief financial officer. One planned upgrade for the platform is that it will start charging $20 a month for its blue check verification.
The blue check mark is regularly used to determine that statements come from Americans and express organizations. However, Musk needs to turn it into a symbol of prestige. Author Stephen King is not receptive to the idea and tweets that if the plan is implemented, he is gone.
– Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 31, 2022