Musk's entry sparks Hollywood exodus, 'Bridgerton' director Shonda Rhimes, Ken Olin quit platform

Elon Musk has adopted a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners attitude in his quest to make Twitter a paradise for free-speech absolutists. But will his relentless pursuit of free-speech end up alienating the Twitter user-base? That seems to be the ($44) billion dollar question.

Ever since Musk took over the ‘pelican app’ (one of the many fond nicknames given to the microblogging site) with a cryptic tweet, “the bird is freed’’ on Thursday, this has led many Twitterati to wonder what exactly will be “freed’’ onto the microblogging site and at what cost.

Many users have begun to leave the app by droves the moment Musk announced his takeover. Several illustrious names from the world of showbiz have bade farewell to the app. Shonda Rhimes, the creator-writer behind the hit TV series, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and executive producer of the phenomenally successful Netflix series ‘Bridgerton’ was one of the first to leave Twitter for good. The mogul wrote to her 1.9 million followers, "Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye."

Ken Olin, executive producer of the hit TV series ‘This Is Us’ was the next to leave. "I am out of here,” he tweeted to his 300,000 followers.
Actor Josh Gad also hinted he was toying with the idea of leaving the app. “Large exodus happening on this platform. Not sure if I will stay or not. Leaning toward staying, but if today is a sign of things to come, not sure what the point is. Freedom of speech is great. Hate speech intended to incite harm, (with no consequences) ain’t what I signed up for,” tweeted the ‘Beauty & The Beast’ actor.
There were several reports of Twitter gradually devolving into an echo chamber of right-wing trolls where several accounts engaged in hate speech towards minorities under the guise of freedom of speech.

According to a report by The Washington Post, there was a nearly 500% increase in the use of slurs such as the N-word (an unmentionable slur used against African Americans) in the first 12 hours after Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform (October 27). Many troll accounts also tweeted slurs and hateful comments against LGBTQ people. According to the Post, several accounts examined the new moderation policy by misgendering and deadnaming transgender people and using slurs like the F-word liberally. "Almost immediately I noticed an increase in anti-trans harassment, it's very visible," Erin Reed, a trans activist and LGBTQ rights researcher, told The Washington Post.

Till date, Twitter was known for being a melting pot of various demographics where people from all cultures and walks of life could express themselves without having to encounter discrimination. Twitter’s moderation policy, although imperfect, was vigilant in weeding out the violently hateful users.

Musk’s takeover has been followed by an exodus of some of the most active and popular users of Twitter. Will his billion dollar bid to "free the bird’’ end up making the app a right-wing echo chamber instead of being a platform that is "warm and welcoming to all" ?

That remains the ($44) billion dollar question.