CONCERN OF A RISE IN CLIMATE MISINFORMATION DUE TO TWITTER TAKEOVER
As leaders sought anti-warming initiatives at the COP27 summit, observers cautioned that with Elon Musk's takeover, climate doubters seeking to obstruct action and "greenwashing" businesses may have free rein on Twitter.
The self-described free speech supremacist and wealthy Tesla employee fired hundreds of employees, with sustainability leaders Sean Boyle and Casey Junod among those quitting the platform last week.
Musk has pledged to loosen Twitter's content limitations, and following the acquisition, he revealed intentions to establish a "content moderation council" to examine the company's rules.
"What Mr. Musk truly intends to do is unclear. However, if he abandons all efforts at content moderation, we should anticipate an increase in misinformation as well as deceptive and greenwashing advertisements "said Naomi Oreskes, a Harvard University professor of the history of science who has written important studies on climate misinformation.
"Greenwashing" refers to businesses deceiving the public about their environmental impact by words and showy actions.
Additionally, according to Oreskes, "hateful remarks directed toward climate scientists and supporters, particularly women," may rise.
One climate writer tweeted after the buyout that he had received death threats on the website. A request for comment did not receive a prompt response from him.
Executives in sustainability have been fired.
Despite steps proposed by social media platforms, researchers and activists claim that climate disinformation is flourishing and weakening belief in climate change and the need for action to address it.
Twitter and other well-known digital companies like Facebook and Google have said that they are taking steps to hide incorrect information.
However, a thorough analysis released this year by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that messages meant to "deny, deceive, and delay" climate action were widely spread on social media.
Before the takeover, Twitter's policy stated that it was forbidden to post deceptive adverts on the platform that refuted the scientific consensus on climate change.
Boyle and Junod argued in an Earth Day post on Twitter's site that "we feel that climate denialism shouldn't be monetised on Twitter, and that misrepresentative marketing shouldn't impede from critical dialogues about the climate problem."
On November 4, both individuals shared tweets with the hashtag "LoveWhereYouWorked," implying that they were among those fired as a result of Musk's $44 million buyout. Requests for comment did not immediately receive a response.
scientists in danger
In addition to spreading misleading information, other experts cautioned that if moderation fails, climate scientists themselves could be threatened.
Twitter's head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth responded in an effort to allay worries after a spike in hate speech. The "basic moderating capabilities" of the site are still in place, he tweeted.
"Twitter's strong commitment to content moderation is entirely intact," Musk stated on November 4.
According to Genevieve Guenther, head of the media advocacy group End Climate Silence, "I'm concerned that under Musk's leadership, scientific inaccuracies may find a larger platform on Twitter."
But my greatest concern is that the website may begin to isolate climate scientists and activists who oppose right-wing viewpoints, blocking them from communicating with one another and with media and political decision-makers.
COP blue ticks?
One of Musk's ideas is to charge users $8 a month to have a blue tick next to their name, which is now a mark of authenticity for journalists, officials, and other people.
According to Melissa Aronczyk, an associate professor of communication and information at Rutgers University, "this is opening the door to highly orchestrated disinformation and manipulation."
Musk claimed that by making it prohibitively expensive for trolls to maintain several identities, the measure intends to limit hate speech.
According to Aronczyk, individuals prepared to pay for a blue tick to advance an agenda would receive a seal of approval from the system.
She cited the issue surrounding the alleged hiring of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a PR firm that works with major fossil fuel industries, to handle public relations for the COP27 summit in Egypt.
Imagine every Hill+Knowlton employee working for COP27 setting up a network of blue-check accounts to promote the business-led summit proposals, downplaying the tensions, or not paying attention to protesters, Aronczyk suggested.
It's essentially allowing corporate greenwashing to take over as the standard form of climate change communication.
