Where Twitter may be headed
Sometimes it takes a history professor to put things in perspective. In a mind-blowing Twitter thread last weekend, Professor Walter D. Greason of Macalester College in St. Paul, MN did just that. Specifically, Greason described the conservatives’ efforts to destroy liberal/progressive advances that have been boosted by the internet and social media, which he calls “convergence.” Gleason names Elon Musk‘s takeover of Twitter as the latest attempt to stop such progress, i.e., Republican “counter-convergence.” After the jump is Greason’s fascinating Twitter thread. If you have Twitter, you can click on “read the full conversation on Twitter” at the bottom of his first tweet. If not, we have included key tweets from the thread:
It took me a few days to realize it, but what we are seeing on Twitter is an example of 'counter-convergence'. It is happening across media platforms (& the US economy), and I've seen miniature versions of it for a few years. /1 #thread #CCV @esglaude @aoc @nhannahjones
— Walter Greason (@WalterDGreason) November 5, 2022
Greason starts by describing “convergence”:
Convergence is the way media scholars described the emergence, and coordination, of multiple media twenty years ago. Harry Potter was a major example of this pattern where books, films, & architecture 'converged' for global profit. /2 #CCV
— Walter Greason (@WalterDGreason) November 5, 2022
He then talks about “counter-convergence” by conservatives, and why they engage in it:
The 2016 US election was the beginning of the "counter convergence" – conservative and reactionary institutions could not reverse the emerging patterns of global social change. Their efforts to control those new systems were halting and limited (see FoxNews). /4 #CCV
— Walter Greason (@WalterDGreason) November 5, 2022
He mentions how this counter-convergence grew after Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020:
Despite Biden's presidential election victory in 2020, the underlying system of counter-convergence persists, and grew, in places like Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida. These groups coordinated the support for Russian invasion of Ukraine & price-gouging in the US. /8 #CCV
— Walter Greason (@WalterDGreason) November 5, 2022
And now, according to Greason, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is designed at least in part to “break” the liberal social progress that has been achieved through convergence:
Convergence media platforms have systematically been limiting and undercutting Black voices for several years, but Musk's acquisition has been central in breaking a wide range of online communities that stand against Putin, Trump, and the counter-convergence. /13 #CCV
— Walter Greason (@WalterDGreason) November 5, 2022
Not coincidentally, here’s what Elon Musk tweeted yesterday, after Greason published his thread:
To independent-minded voters:
Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
It certainly looks to us like Elon Musk acquired Twitter (just before the 2022 midterm elections) as part of the broader conservative attempt to push the Republican agenda and stifle Democratic election efforts. It doesn’t seem to be at all about business, profits, “free speech” or even-handedness as Musk claims.
Photo by Cambodia4kids.org Beth Kanter, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/2TVXLi
