By Grace Biad | Copy Editor
In late Oct. 2022, Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now called X, for $44 billion. From this day forward he has repeatedly declared his intention that X would be the platform for free speech. For better or worse, he has announced that official X shadow banning and fact-checking would die. He has decided that the X community can police itself in the form of community notes.
Over the last several months, Musk has posted repeatedly, “You are the media.” What does he mean by that? He means that old-guard news sources are not as respected, valued or relevant as they used to be. It appears as though he is on to something.
The viewership of CNN has dropped 47% since before the 2024 election, and MSNBC has dropped 53%. These same news outlets are firing on-air personalities because of decreased ratings. The people who are too expensive and cannot be fired are quitting their jobs because popular shows are being moved to unpopular time slots. Jim Acosta is a perfect example. He decided to quit his job in mainstream media when his 10 a.m. slot was moved to a midnight slot.
When was the last time you read the newspaper? You never did. However, our parents did, and even they don’t read the newspaper anymore. We all get our news from our phones because now things are reported as they happen, with no agenda and from people on the scene.
I write this fully aware that citizen media could replace and make irrelevant the very newspaper I write for now.
The rise of social media has allowed MAGA voices to become more prominent now than at any point before. Good or bad, these voices are louder and more numerous. An unfiltered social media has allowed these people to find each other and feel less alienated.
While some on the right will argue that Musk has struck a blow to free speech, others have claimed that he and his platform have simply become a megaphone for those same right-wingers.
The Daily Beast and The Daily Wire are slowly taking the place of the Daily Planet. Our generation is responsible for this. We are watching and overseeing the end of an era as mainstream media sources are being edged out because of our embrace of social media. “The Daily Journal” has gone the way of the cigarette and parachute pants.
So, reader, you have two options here. On the one hand, you may want mainstream media to stay favored. If that is the case, subscribe to The New York Times, watch CNN and MSNBC and encourage your friends and family to do the same. On the other hand, you are the media now. You have the power to form public opinion and spread information with the clicks of your thumbs. Do this through posting on X, Instagram and Bluesky. You wield the sword of media, so choose wisely.
