Elon Musk Wonders Whether TikTok Is Destroying Civilization

Elon Musk recently asked his Twitter followers if TikTok would be detrimental to the development of the world. He tweeted, “Is TikTok destroying civilization? Some people think so. Or perhaps social media in general.” The tech entrepreneur went on to question the importance of TikTok after speaking to his Twitter staff. This was his first address to the social media company after he decided to buy it for $44 billion. In a meeting with his employees, Musk also brought up the question of TikTok.[1] 

Is TikTok destroying civilization? Some people think so.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2022

According to Insider, Elon Musk stated, “It does a great job of making sure you’re not bored.” Interestingly, he also praised the developers of the short video platform. He claimed that they had honed the algorithm to be hugely engaging.

Musk did bring TikTok up because he wanted to explain to the staff what sort of content he didn’t want for Twitter. He stated, “I mean, it does just feel like ADD,” Musk said of TikTok. “But like, next level.” [2]

This meeting also saw him unveil his free-speech plan for Twitter. He announced that the staff should allow people to say whatever they wanted to. 

Elon Musk’s Plans Extend Far Beyond Twitter And TikTok

But later, Elon Musk did clarify that he meant people could say anything as long as it was within the law. He also mentioned that he definitely didn’t want his users to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, freedom of speech wouldn’t really mean freedom of reach. So any harmful tweet would see the platform limiting its reach. According to The Verge, Musk mentioned, “The standard is more than not offending people, the standard should be they should be entertained.” [3]

Finally, he brought his expansion plan for Twitter. Interestingly, he wanted Twitter to reach the one billion user mark. This would see it being compared to Twitter as well as WeChat- the Chinese super-app. 

As reported by Statista, WeChat has been the most popular platform in China since its inception. With constant upgrades and updates, the platform mixes priorities with pleasure. One can pay their bills, order their food, and even enable ride-sharing services. Elon Musk, speaking about this app, stated, “You basically live on WeChat in China. If we can recreate that with Twitter, we’ll be a great success.”

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