Elon Musk posted a photo of his bedside table on Twitter on Monday, only weeks after he assumed control of the social media business.
On Monday, the 51-year-old millionaire tweeted a picture of his bedside table, which was devoid of context and featured empty caffeine-free Diet Coke cans and a partially consumed bottle of water.
On the edge was a replica of George Washington’s flintlock handgun, laying in a wooden box with its lid open to reveal the renowned picture of Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolution by Emanuel Leutze.
In addition, he carried a replica of the Diamond Back.357 revolver from the computer game Deus Ex: Human Revolution, as well as what looks to be a Buddhist vajra used to repel opponents.
There were condensation rings on the nightstand from the empty bottles, and Musk added, “There is no excuse for my lack of coasters.”
It occurred just one day after the world’s richest man released data indicating a reduction in hate speech on Twitter since his $44 billion takeover a month ago.
The numbers directly refute claims that hostile rhetoric has surged since Musk assumed leadership.
Musk has previously stated that he overcame his coffee addiction while he worked to create Tesla one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers.
In 2014, he informed the German motor magazine Auto Bild that he drank Diet Cokes each night to keep awake.
According to NBC News, he stated at the time, “There were certainly occasions when I drank eight Diet Cokes per day or something insane.” It’s maybe one or two people these days, so it’s not too wild.
He stated that he was also a coffee addict, stating, “I used to drink so much coffee… that I would become quite wired.” I’d become overly caffeinated, which would be undesirable.’
Musk stated he has since switched from coffee to water.
Musk is currently focusing his efforts on building his latest venture, Twitter.
He presented slides over the weekend demonstrating that between October 17 and November 13, Twitter impressions of hate speech have decreased.
In the previous week, new user registrations have averaged over two million each day, according to the CEO.
These numbers directly contradict previous reports indicating a spike in hate speech after Musk assumed control of the social media giant.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate said that the usage of racist, homophobic, transphobic, and anti-Semitic slurs increased considerably in the week beginning October 31, the first full week under Musk’s leadership. Musk assumed control of the company on October 27.
It discovered 26,228 tweets and retweets containing the racist term n****r, which is three times the average for 2022.
Nearly 34,000 tweets and retweets included the word t****y, a 53 percent increase from the average in 2022.
And the slur f****t increased by 39 percent to 21,903 tweets and retweets, while the slur k**e increased by 23 percent to 2,598 tweets and retweets.
Over 1,200 tweets and retweets mention the slur w*g, a 62 percent increase from the 2022 average, while 935 tweets and retweets mention the word s**c, a 67 percent increase.
Despite assertions from Twitter’s Head of Trust and Safety, Yoel Roth, that the firm had succeeded in limiting the amount of times hate speech appeared on Twitter’s search and trending page, the center reported that the volume of nasty tweets had increased.
Similarly, the European Union revealed data last week indicating that Twitter reviewed and removed less hateful content in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The EU disclosed these data as part of its annual examination of online platforms’ compliance with the 27-nation bloc’s code of conduct on disinformation, with the vast majority of digital corporations receiving even worse scores.
Nonetheless, the figures may portend difficulties for Twitter in complying with the EU’s strict new online regulations, given that the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, laid off a significant portion of the platform’s 7,500 full-time employees and an unknown number of contractors responsible for content moderation and other crucial tasks.
The EU assessment, conducted over six weeks in the spring, found that Twitter evaluated slightly more than half of the alerts it received regarding illegal hate speech within twenty-four hours, a decrease from 82 percent in 2021.
In comparison, Facebook examined 64 percent of flagged content within 24 hours, Instagram reviewed 56.9 percent, and YouTube reviewed 83.3 percent, while TikTok, the only business to improve, came in at 92 percent.
The percentage of hate speech Twitter removed after being reported decreased to 45.4% from 49.8% the previous year.
TikTok’s removal rate decreased by a quarter to 60 percent, although Facebook and Instagram showed just modest decreases. 90 percent of YouTube’s takedowns increased.
Last month’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter by Musk sparked widespread fear that liars and misinformers will be let to flourish on the platform.
Musk is in the firing line as a result of the lifted ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Twitter account and the Twitter Blue fiasco that allowed anyone to be verified.
Musk, however, maintains that the number of Twitter users is at an all-time high, tweeting on Saturday that user sign-ups were at an all-time high despite the fact that many Twitter users were searching for an alternative network.
In the meantime, a coalition of over sixty civil rights and civil society organizations has exerted pressure on firms advertising on the social media site to refrain from doing so.
The ‘Stop Toxic Twitter alliance’ took action after Twitter owner Elon Musk reinstated former U.S. President Donald Trump’s account, which had been blocked following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
On its website, the group has demanded that all of Twitter’s leading advertisers “sever” their ties with him if he “undermines brand safety and community standards.”
It reads, “Musk must not roll back the fundamental moderation procedures Twitter already has in place, and he must devote the resources necessary to enforce these regulations.”
Musk should prioritize making the platform safer and usher in a period where the corporation has stricter standards to safeguard users from hate, harassment, and toxicity.
However, he is doing the complete opposite.
Musk recently lamented that activist pressure had already caused a “huge decline in income.”
About ninety percent of Twitter’s revenue is generated by ad revenues.
The coalition has obtained a list of the top 100 marketers by total expenditures for the current year and reports that just 51 advertisers have ceased advertising.