It was one of the top stories this month. The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, announced that there would be no more political advertising on Twitter.
We wonder, what could have compelled Jack Dorsey to make this decision? How will it affect political platforms all over the world?
For many years, politicians have leveraged the wide reach on Twitter to campaign before and during elections.
Twitter has proven to be a useful social media platform that politicians have used to push their different political agendas. Now, things are about to change…
The new policy to ban all types of political adverts on Twitter is expected to be implemented on November 22.
Is This a Setback For Political Campaign Groups?
We know that this is a strategic and maybe hurried decision by the Twitter CEO, because two major elections may be forthcoming. The presidential election in the US is only one year away, and we anticipate an election in the UK, from the political trends in the region.
However, while social media remains one of the most significant platforms to reach people in seconds, Twitter is only one of the available platforms. We expect political campaign groups to re-strategize and leverage other social media platforms.
This can be an opportunity for a growing social media platform to break the ice and become.
Why Has Political Advertising Been Banned on Twitter?
On one hand, paid advertising is a major source of income for Twitter. We see it all the time. Twitter allows its users to follow accounts of their interest to see the Tweets from that account.
However, paid online advertisements are seen by everyone, regardless of whom you follow on Twitter.
Jack Dorsey thinks that it is not right to compel every Twitter user to view unsolicited political advertisements that are mostly paid ads.
By banning the display of political advertisements on Twitter, the users now have a choice. If you want to see political advertisements from your preferred candidate, you can follow their account on Twitter.
Is it a Breach of Freedom of Expression?
Jack Dorsey believes that all Twitter users should have control over the content they will view on the social media platform. And that paying for an advertisement on Twitter cannot be classified as free speech.
This decision by Jack Dorsey has been getting mixed reactions from the public. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, disagrees. Mark Zuckerberg believes that political advertisements should be controlled, but not banned on social media.
The Twitter community seems to be divided about this decision. While some people think it is a good move, others believe that there will be little impact because of features such as Retweets and Likes on Twitter that can still display political advertisements to thousands of users on the social media platform.
We know that so many people hold strong political views, so Twitter may be doing the right thing after all. To keep track of the latest news headlines, please visit Verdict.org.
