So in a bizarre move, Donald Trump Jr. has called for the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, to create a new social network. In an Instagram video, he said, “If Elon musk can privately send people into space, I’m sure he can design a social network that isn’t biased.” Trump Jr. added that Musk could out-do Twitter and create a social network that takes care of hate speech and calls of violence with “actual neutral arbiters and fact-checkers.” Earlier this week, Musk called out Trump’s social network ban and said a lot of people might not agree to have “West Coast high tech as the de facto arbiter of free speech.” However, the billionaire has not expressed any intention of building a social network just yet.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2021 It’s important to keep in mind that Musk’s own social media record is not so rosy. He called a British diver working in Thailand a “pedo guy,” and caused Tesla shares to dive after he tweeted that their prices are too high. What’s more, Trump Jr.’s call feels more like “Oh, you know computers? Why don’t you build a social network for us,” and not a solid plan. I’m not holding my breath for Musk to announce a social network for now.
