Thanks, Elon!: Verified Chaos and Lessons for Libraries from X's Misinformation Meltdown (Lauren Fowler Week 10)




Remember when Twitter’s blue check meant credibility? Now, it mostly means you paid eight bucks and have Opinions (thanks, Elon!). ABC news tells us that just ten “superspreader” accounts were responsible for over a third of low-credibility tweets before Elon Musks’s 2022 Twitter takeover. Since then, X, as its now called, has laid off most of its moderation staff and disbanded its election integrity team—leaving room for what to thrive under the banner of free speech, you ask?

If you guessed misinformation, you are correct!

This week’s lecture reminded us that content moderation is a form of governance. Platforms decide what’s acceptable, visible, and prioritized. When those systems collapse, misinformation fills the vacuum. Joan Donovan (2020) warned that social media companies must “flatten the curve of misinformation” (sound familiar?) through transparency and collaboration. Instead, X has doubled down on algorithmic amplification—the same dynamic Dr. Sun identified as fueling sensational, emotional content over accuracy.

Pennycook and Rand (2021) add that misinformation spreads not just because of bias, but because users are distracted. And, let’s be real, nowadays who isn’t? Removing verification systems and relying on crowd-sourced “community notes” makes it even harder for users to pause and think critically before sharing.

When a platform prioritizes “free speech” over moderation, it does not empower users, it overwhelms them. Accuracy becomes totally optional, trust evaporates, and chaos takes center stage. But libraries, unlike X, cannot afford that trade-off. Libraries curate, moderate, and verify because our credibility depends on it, which is a model social media platforms could learn from (looking at you again, Elon!).

Question for readers: Would you trust a platform with absolutely zero moderation? Does that promote free speech, or turn into anarchy? A nuanced question, I know, but definitely an important one.  

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