Many ppl debate @elonmusk's free speech intentions w/ Twitter's acquisition, but I think most miss why Twitter is so special to him.
Twitter is like a brain, but for all of humanity. Here's why Elon is trying to optimize its neural connections:
Twitter is like a brain, but for all of humanity. Here's why Elon is trying to optimize its neural connections:
In brains, individual neurons are pretty dumb. Intelligence emerges from the whole.
It comes from how neurons are connected.
The mechanisms are pretty similar for both brains and Twitter.
On Twitter, we're the neurons—each of us pretty dumb.
Intelligence emerges from the whole.
It comes from how neurons are connected.
The mechanisms are pretty similar for both brains and Twitter.
On Twitter, we're the neurons—each of us pretty dumb.
Intelligence emerges from the whole.
In brains, each neuron sends to a bunch of other neurons very simple messages called action potentials: they fire up or not.
On Twitter, we send pretty simple messages to other neurons (ppl): 280-character tweets
On Twitter, we send pretty simple messages to other neurons (ppl): 280-character tweets
In brains, these messages travel through axones. Other neurons catch them through their dendrites.
On Twitter, your axone is your tweet editor.
Your dendrite is your feed.
On Twitter, your axone is your tweet editor.
Your dendrite is your feed.
In brains, if the message is strong enough, the receiving neuron will in turn fire up & propagate the message
On Twitter, if you want to endorse a message, instead of propagating it by firing up, you retweet it
On Twitter, if you want to endorse a message, instead of propagating it by firing up, you retweet it
In brains, neuron B is more likely to propagate the message of neuron A if B pays more attention A, or if it receives the same message from many other neurons
On Twitter, you're more likely to RT somthg from somebody you pay attention to, or if many have RTed it already
On Twitter, you're more likely to RT somthg from somebody you pay attention to, or if many have RTed it already
In a brain, the more a certain pathway between neurons fires up, the stronger it will become. The axones and dendrites strengthen. Eventually, some groups of neurons start firing up very close to each other, following each other's behavior. They form a brain subsystem
On Twitter, the more you like somebody's tweets, the more you're likely to follow them. You'll tend to form groups with the ppl who follow the same ppl and topics & have the same opinions. You'll RT each other. You form a Twitter subsystem.
In the brain, decisions emerge from the interaction of these low-level subsystems into bigger and bigger systems.
On Twitter, the most viral tweets become trends. Some themes start appearing + and +. They start shaping society's thoughts—and decisions.
On Twitter, the most viral tweets become trends. Some themes start appearing + and +. They start shaping society's thoughts—and decisions.
You don't need every human on Twitter for this to be true. Just decision-makers. And Twitter is where they spend their time, so Twitter becomes humankind's brain.
Now you can't change neurons—humans.
You also can't change the shape of the network: people are going to gravitate to whoever they are attracted to.
But you CAN change their connections. Specifically, their dendrites—their Twitter feed.
You also can't change the shape of the network: people are going to gravitate to whoever they are attracted to.
But you CAN change their connections. Specifically, their dendrites—their Twitter feed.
If smbdy can shape Twitter's feed, it's like controlling which neurons receive info from which other neurons. What pathways strengthen, which ones weaken.
Many social networks work similarly, but none is closer to the brain as Twitter because:
• 1-way following (vs befriending), like neurons
• Very short messages, like action potentials
• Text-first network = ideas-first network
• Owns the attention of decision-makers
• 1-way following (vs befriending), like neurons
• Very short messages, like action potentials
• Text-first network = ideas-first network
• Owns the attention of decision-makers
Obv, ppl have alternative ways to communicate outside of Twitter (unlike neurons, who only have their system). So Twitter doesn't determine all of humanity's thoughts
But it influences them
Who controls the feed influences who controls mankind's thoughts
But it influences them
Who controls the feed influences who controls mankind's thoughts
And so far, it was Twitter's mgmt, with its corresponding ideas.
If you agree with all of this and believe it's crucially important to get this right, then you should want as neutral a body as possible to take it over.
@elonmusk thinks he is more neutral. Hence his bid.
If you agree with all of this and believe it's crucially important to get this right, then you should want as neutral a body as possible to take it over.
@elonmusk thinks he is more neutral. Hence his bid.
You should only be against it if you were VERY confident that Musk was less neutral. Otherwise, you think the current mgmt's bias is not acceptable, and trying your chance at a change would be useful.
Loading suggestions...