Decoder with Nilay Patel How Donald Trump and Elon Musk killed Twitter, with Marty Baron and Zoe Schiffer
8 snips
Dec 21, 2023 
Marty Baron, the former executive editor of The Washington Post, and Zoe Schiffer, managing editor of Platformer, dive into the chaotic transformation of Twitter. They explore how Donald Trump and Elon Musk reshaped the platform, from a communication tool to a political battleground, and ultimately contributed to its decline. Insightful discussions on the challenges of misinformation during Trump's presidency and the internal turmoil at Twitter post-Musk's acquisition provide a sharp critique of social media's impact on modern politics.
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User-Driven Innovation
- Twitter's leadership never understood the platform; its users drove innovation.
- Users created hashtags, retweets, and made Twitter a hub for humor and social movements.
Influence of Power Users
- Two power users, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, shaped Twitter's trajectory.
- Both were addicted to the platform, defined it, changed it, broke it, and ultimately ended it.
Twitter's Early Idealism
- Twitter positioned itself as a force for good, unlike Meta's 'move fast and break things' approach.
- It highlighted its role in social movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring.
