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Billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly considering buying TikTok, following a US Supreme Court ruling that upheld a law that could lead to the app being banned in the US. Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, has been criticized for using the platform to promote far-right ideologies in European politics. The development raises new concerns about the impact that further consolidation of power by a few individuals and big tech companies could have.
Technology experts have warned that a potential acquisition of TikTok by Musk could have profound consequences for the social media ecosystem and society as a whole. According to Marc Faddoul, co-founder of AI Forensics, an organization that researches algorithms and their impact, the concentrated ownership of social media has created an “arbitrary power” that can manipulate how information is distributed and how consumers process it. Faddoul points out that the power that a few individuals have over these platforms is detrimental to pluralism and could affect how the public receives information, increasing the possibility of manipulating public opinion on a very massive scale.
Another concern is that these companies are using algorithms that favor certain ideologies and are often influenced by business interests. According to Paul Reilly, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, tech “oligarchs” often promote a version of free speech that is in line with their economic and ideological interests. He also criticizes the way these platforms can censor or delete opinions that are contrary to the interests of their owners.
A clear example of this is Human Rights Watch’s research, which revealed that Meta has censored Palestinian voices on its platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. This has raised serious questions about the role of these social media outlets in the dissemination of information and the influence they can have on public opinion, influencing political and economic decision-making.
If Musk were to buy TikTok, one possibility is that he could integrate the platform with X and create a tighter connection between the two apps. This integration could allow TikTok’s short-form video content to spread across X users’ news feeds, creating a greater influence on what information is shared and how public opinion is shaped. This type of integration could raise further concerns about information control and the concentration of power in the hands of a few individuals.
Social media consolidation is a phenomenon that has come under scrutiny by authorities. For example, the US Federal Trade Commission has investigated Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp over antitrust concerns. Some experts believe that Musk’s purchase of TikTok could have similar consequences, creating “extreme concentration” in the social media industry and giving Musk the ability to control and manipulate information more effectively. Fiona Scott Morton, a senior fellow at the European Bruegel Institute, has warned that Musk could adopt a policy similar to the one he implemented at X, eliminating content moderation, removing security standards and allowing the platform to become a vehicle for promoting hate and far-right extremism.
In this context, some experts and organizations have called for authorities, particularly those in the European Union, to step up investigations and regulations to hold tech “oligarchs” accountable. The European Commission has launched an investigation into Musk’s content moderation policy on X, and it is possible that greater oversight may be required to prevent information manipulation and protect pluralism on social media.
However, to prevent excessive control over information and ensure healthy competition in the industry, some experts suggest that it would be necessary to create a more open and decentralized ecosystem. Platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon, which offer users the ability to choose the algorithms that display them and control their data, are potential examples of an alternative to centralized social media models.
Ultimately, experts are of the opinion that to preserve freedom of speech and pluralism, governments and regulatory authorities must intervene to ensure that these platforms remain fair and offer equal opportunities to all users, without giving more power to technology companies./ Euronews
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