September 16th 2023.
Ice Cube recently put Elon Musk on blast after the latter posted a meme on Twitter captioned, “This is Ice Cube now, feel old yet?” - complete with a photo of the rapper next to a glass of water. Oshea Jackson Sr. responded by quoting Musk’s tweet and posting a picture of the old Twitter logo next to a literal dumpster fire, with the caption “This is Twitter now, feel stupid yet?”
The post caught the attention of millions of users, including the legendary singer Dionne Warwick. In an interview with People Magazine, Warwick spoke about Musk’s decision to remove the “block” feature from the platform, expressing her desire to meet with him and understand his intentions.
Musk is now considering a move that would violate both Apple and Google Play’s terms of service, and have the Twitter/X app removed from their marketplaces. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, appeared to agree with Musk’s stance and tweeted a response in support.
However, anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky had raised concerns about user safety if the “block” feature was removed. Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of Twitter, responded to Lewinsky’s concerns by tweeting out that user safety is the company’s top priority and they are working to build something better than the current state of “block” and “mute.”
Musk has also been facing scrutiny over the changes he has made to the trust and safety department, which he disbanded shortly after acquiring the company. This has caused concern with civil and human rights groups who say the company is allowing hate speech under the guise of championing free speech. Daniel Fessler, the director of UCLA’s Bedari Kindness Institute, expressed his worries to the LA Times, saying “It is worrisome when a platform with the reach of Twitter can be purchased by one individual and even modest attempts to turn it to more socially constructive ends...are deconstructed and removed.”
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