The world’s richest man is now the owner of Twitter.
Some people are up in arms about Elon Musk purchasing the social media company. They’re lamenting Twitter`s decision to accept Musk’s offer after previously fighting against his takeover bid.
But ultimately money won out, as it often does, and Musk now owns a social media company – one that has gradually been surpassed by other platformers.
To answer the inevitable questions, yes, I`m on Twitter. I was on Twitter before Musk launched his takeover bid. I’ll be on Twitter once the purchase is finalized. And I`ll remain on Twitter as long as I believe there are professional and personal benefits.
Most of my tweeting is work related. I provided live updates of city council meetings. I think I have a dedicated group of about 12 people who follow along with my blow-by-blow accounts of council discussions. And I’ve been provided regular updates from Estevan Bruin home games during the playoffs. The final moments of the third period and overtime gave me lots of ammunition.
(Be sure to follow me @Willbergs_World during the Centennial Cup).
When I travel, I’ll tweet about it. When I want to promote a beer I like or food I enjoy, I’ll tweet about it. If I need to provide an update on something related to work, I’ll do so. And I follow a really cool account related to noteworthy moments in Vancouver Canucks’ history. Yes, we do have occasions worth celebrating. No Stanley Cups, mind you, but we`ve had some victories, and the late Pat Quinn made some great trades.
But generally, my Twitter feed is for work. I don’t follow celebrities. A waste of time. I don’t get involved in Twitter debates. A bigger waste of time. As stated in previous columns, I’d rather prop myself up against my patio chair and stand on my head until I pass out, than get involved in a social media debate with some yahoo I’ve never met (or one I have met).
I have no need to modify the spelling of my last name, or use an assumed name or have protected tweets.
Anyways, getting back to Elon Musk. Frankly, I have more pressing things to care about than whether he purchased Twitter. We live in a capitalist society. Elon Musk had the money to purchase Twitter. The Twitter board decided to accept his offer. Deal with it. Move on.
If you think Musk owning Twitter is bad news, then cancel your account. People might be surprised how little they miss Twitter, or any other form of social media, once it`s no longer part of their lives.
If you think Musk buying Twitter is the greatest thing to happen this year, then you’ll probably want to be on the social media platform if you don’t have an account already.
If I had $40 billion to spend, I can think of better things to do with it than to shell out for a social media platform that could be described as a diminishing return. Musk might give it a boost at first, but it’s unlikely that Twitter will ever regain the foothold that it had 10 years ago.
I’m not a big Elon Musk fan. I think he is undeniably brilliant and a visionary. He comes up with ideas that the rest of us can only dream of, and he has the financial resources to make them happen.
I think it’s cool that he spent time working in southwest Saskatchewan one summer years ago, and I hope one day he takes up Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig’s offer to come to Estevan to see our world-leading CCS facility.
I hope he continues to see the benefit of CCS technology.
But at times, the massive ego of the wealthiest man on Earth shines through. He’s Elon Musk. So he’s going to be right. And we should listen to what he says, regardless of the topic.
But his ownership of Twitter won`t influence my decision to be part of the platform.
So you can still visit @Willbergs_World to find out what’s happening during city council meetings. And Bruin games. And when I find a really great-tasting craft beer.
