September 28, 2023
  • 12:08 pm Fall Convocation 2022: “The State of this University is Strong”
  • 9:37 pm Ogrin Brings the Thunder in Toros 12-3 rout; team plays for playoff championship tomorrow
  • 7:00 am Outstanding Professor Award Recipient’s Mic Drop Moment at Last Month’s Virtual Ceremony
  • 9:10 am Bookworms of the World Unite!
  • 7:46 pm Breaking News: All Students Living in Campus Housing Required to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
  • 9:00 am CSUDH Esports Creates International Competition
  • 9:35 am Spring Commencement Ceremonies Get Brighter
  • 3:46 pm Breaking News: Spring Commencement Ceremonies Recieve Stadium Upgrade
  • 8:00 am Testing the Teachers (and All the Educators)
  • 9:30 am CSUDH Educators and School Employees, Vaccinated Next
  • 10:30 am For White People Only: Anti-Racism Workshop Addresses Racial Bias and Unity
  • 2:43 pm Greatness Personified: Remembering Kobe Bryant
  • 10:02 am Straight Down the Chimney and Into Your (Digital) Hands: Special Holiday Edition of The Bulletin!
  • 2:44 pm Did You Wake up Looking this Beautiful?
  • 11:43 am A Long History for University’s Newest Major
  • 5:15 pm Issue 5 of Bulletin Live! Collector’s Item! Worth its Weight in Digital Paper!
  • 4:06 pm Special Election Issue
  • 4:03 pm Three best Latinx Halloween & Horror Short Films available now on HBO Max
  • 9:49 am Issue 3 of CSUDH Bulletin Live if You Want It
  • 3:24 pm Hispanic Heritage Month Update
  • 2:00 pm South Bay Economic Forecast Goes Virtual
  • 3:52 pm BREAKING NEWS: Classes for Spring to be Online, CSU Chancellor Announces
  • 9:39 am “Strikes” and Solidarity
  • 8:30 am March Into History: Just 5 in 1970, CSUDH Growth Shaped by Historic Event
  • 8:30 am Will the Bulletin Make Today Tomorrow?
  • 9:04 am Different Neighborhoods Warrant Rubber Bullets or Traffic Control For Protesters
  • 5:07 pm STAFF EDITORIAL: Even Socially Distant, We All Have to Work Together
  • 5:47 pm Transcript of CSUDH President Parham’s Coronavirus Announcement
  • 10:46 am Cal State Long Beach Suspends Face-to-Face Classes; CSUDH Discussing Contingency Plans
  • 5:26 pm Things Black People Should be Able to Get Away with This Month
  • 10:25 am Latinx Students Need a Place to Call Home
  • 2:35 pm Will Time Run Out Before Funds for PEGS? [UPDATED]
  • 8:41 am Year of the Rat? What’s That?
  • 6:20 am Artist Who Gave Life to Death and Inspired Countless Others Gets His Due at Dominguez Hills
  • 5:16 pm Why I’m Rooting for Dr. Cornel West
  • 5:00 pm Under Fire from the Feds, Vaping’s Future is Cloudy
  • 3:28 pm We’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat; Tsunami 3.0 Hits Campus, Enrollment Swells
  • 1:22 pm THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE BULLETIN IS HERE
  • 4:48 pm University Weathering a Wave of New Students
  • 9:21 pm The Bulletin’s Public Records Request Offers Springboard to Launch Gender Equity Discussion at CSUDH
  • 4:27 pm Black is the New Black: Raising the Capital on the “B” Word
  • 10:53 am Guns Up for Arrest: Student advocacy group pushes for CSU No Gun Zones–Including the Police
  • 4:09 pm Staff Editorial: Words on the First
  • 8:42 pm Carson Mayor Blasts Media, Landmark Libel Case in Keynote Address
  • 9:27 am Free Speech Week Calendar of Events Update
  • 6:02 am Food for Thought: 40% of Students are Food Insecure
  • 3:12 pm Academic Senate Rejects CSU GE Task Force & Report
  • 3:06 pm Work To Be Done
  • 5:56 pm ASI Elections: What You Need to Know
  • 8:02 pm CSUDH President Parham Announces Cancer Diagnosis
  • 9:47 am CSUDH Art Professor’s 20-Year Journey Results in First Local Showing of Film
  • 9:13 pm Free Speech or Free Hate area?
  • 9:08 pm CSUDH’s Best & Brightest Shine at Student Research Day
  • 9:05 pm Academic Senate Approves Gender Equity Task Force
  • 12:37 pm When Dr. Davis speaks, Toros Pay Close Attention
  • 3:38 pm Investing in the Future: Dr. Thomas A. Parham Reflects on the Past Eight Months and Contemplates​ the University’s Future
  • 3:24 pm Green Olive to Open By End of Feb; Starbucks Not Until Fall
  • 3:20 pm Gov. Newsom’s Proposed Budget Hailed for Extensive Funding Increases
  • 3:08 pm Out of the Classroom: Labor and Community Organizing Course Aims to Teach Students How to Organize for Social Justice
  • 2:54 pm The Other Route in Professional Sports
  • 9:02 am Hail to the New Chief, CSUDH President Thomas Parham
  • 3:36 pm Career Center Holds Major/Minor Fair
  • 5:34 pm After Unexpected Delay, Undocumented Becomes More Intimate Theatrical Production
  • 1:30 pm What to Expect When You’re Expecting New Buildings
  • 6:30 pm September Events For Suicide Prevention Month
  • 6:30 pm Higher Parking Fees Squeeze Toros
  • 6:25 pm Study Abroad Opportunities Abound
  • 7:49 pm CSUDH offers qualified students free laptops
  • 1:17 pm Peaches, Peaches, Peaches

Elon Musk’s new Twitter purchase has many feeling pessimistic about the social media platform’s future. Art by: Melissa Melgar

By Melissa Melgar, Staff Reporter

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion purchase of social media company Twitter on Oct. 27. Now that he’s officially the owner of Twitter, the deal has caused a lot of mixed emotions among Twitter users. 

“Elon Musk could have ended world hunger and poverty, and he decided to f- up Twitter for $44 billion instead,…” tweeted one user, Chaudhary Shaharyar. 

Musk first announced his deal on April 14, when he had originally offered $43 billion in cash. Twitter accepted the deal 11 days later for $44 billion. He announced his purchase by tweeting, “the bird is freed.” With this purchase, he claimed he would make significant changes to the social media website, starting with getting rid of spam accounts. He has since reinstated Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Donald Trump’s problematic accounts. 

One of the first steps as the owner was to transform the company. He started off by firing over half of the employees that criticized him on Twitter and on the company’s private Slack. “I would like to apologize for firing these geniuses. Their immense talent will no doubt be of great use elsewhere,” Musk tweeted

California State University, Dominguez Hills professor of business law, Charles Thomas, explained why Musk’s offer was too good for the social media company to turn down. 

“Musk’s offer for Twitter was good for existing shareholders, as it represented a 38% premium over the previous share price. This is why the board of directors for Twitter agreed to Musk’s offer,” Thomas said in an email. “Even if they didn’t agree with Musk’s direction, they could not ignore the opportunity for the shareholders to earn 38% on their shares. Musk tried to walk away, but when faced with litigation, he went through with the deal.” 

Users from around the world expressed their concerns on Twitter due to Musk’s statements about wanting to ensure free speech. According to the Los Angeles Times, he plans to bring back accounts that were kicked off Twitter, such as former President Trump’s. Recently, he started to ban accounts that have made fun of him, such as comedian Kathy Griffin, who changed her profile to impersonate him. 

“It remains to be seen what changes Musk will make to Twitter. He has suggested that Twitter is the proverbial ‘town square’ and would like less ‘moderation’ of content on Twitter,” Thomas continued. “However, some view Twitter as the ‘gladiator ring’ where misinformation battles with bots and hackers and without some moderation, members will abandon the platform.” 

Another major change coming to Twitter that Musk has implemented is that verification checks, also known as “blue checks”, will now be $8 dollars per month. Whether the user is an influencer or politician, there will be a monthly fee in order to keep that official blue check next to their profiles. This has caused a lot of people who are verified on Twitter to take their platforms to social media websites like Instagram and TikTok.

“Similarly, Musk appears to be offering a subscription model for a premium Twitter experience.  The transition from free to subscription is difficult to achieve, but this is no different than Spotify or Apple Music without advertising. We shall see,” Thomas said. 

Many users believed that he would allow more access to free speech, but he cleared that up in a recent tweet. His new policy is “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.”

“Hate is not a viable business model for affiliations with corporate brands and well-meaning citizens alike. It is precisely this audience that forced Musk to pay $44 Billion. Keeping that audience is essential to preserving this investment,” Thomas continued.

Twitter users now have to wait and see what the future holds for the social media site. Will this be the end of an era? That is now in the hands of Elon Musk and his team.

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