Into America

#RIPBlackTwitter?

Episode Summary

What will happen to the creativity and community of Black Twitter under Elon Musk?

Episode Notes

It’s been just over a month since Elon Musk became CEO of Twitter, capping off a months-long, controversial, $44 billion takeover.  

The company has drastically changed under Musk, from losing an estimated two-thirds of its staff to layoffs and resignations, to looser content regulations, to reinstating notable banned accounts such as former President Donald Trump

The changes have left many Black users uncertain of their future on the site, and that poses a danger to one of the site’s most vibrant, creative, and influential communities: Black Twitter. 

Black Twitter has given us countless memes and viral videos, and powered movements like #OscarsSoWhite and #BlackLivesMatter. But does Elon Musk’s leadership mean the end of the Black Twitter we know? Host Trymaine Lee talks with Meredith D. Clark, a professor at Northeastern who studies Black Twitter, and Jamilah Lemieux, a writer who has been a prominent voice in the community.

For a transcript, please visit msnbc.com/intoamerica

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