23rd March, Mumbai: The billionaire businessman and creator of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, recently made waves on social media by censoring the word “God” on his Twitter account. Others have backed Musk, claiming that he has the right to control his social media account however he sees appropriate. Musk has received criticism for this conduct from some, while others have defended him.
Together with his passion for technology and creativity, Musk is widely renowned for his outspoken and even contentious ideas. With more than 60 million followers on Twitter, he enjoys a sizable following and often uses the social media site to express his opinions on a range of subjects, including cryptocurrencies and space travel.
Nevertheless, recently, several Twitter users discovered that their tweets were banned when they attempted to reply to one of Musk’s tweets with the word “God.” As a result, it was assumed that Musk had purposefully avoided using the phrase, either because he is an atheist or for some other reason.
Musk personally stepped in on the debate and said that he had not purposefully banned the word “God” on his account in reaction to the uproar. Instead, he clarified that a filter had been installed on his account that instantly filters out several terms that are commonly used in spam or abusive tweets.
Musk has faced accusations from some detractors that he is disrespectful to religious views, while others have supported his freedom to run his social media presence whatever he pleases. Some have argued that because Twitter is a private platform, Musk is not obligated to let any specific ideas or viewpoints to be shared on his account.
However, considering that Musk’s filter only blocks a small number of words, some have said that the debate around the word “God” is a bit exaggerated. The filter also excludes terms like vulgarity, racial epithets, and other objectionable terminology.
Notwithstanding the outcry over Elon Musk’s decision to block the word “God” on Twitter, it is ultimately Musk’s choice how to handle his social media account. No matter what he does, he will probably draw criticism and controversy because he is a well-known public personality. Yet, he will probably continue to be one of the most significant and forward-thinking businesspeople of our time as long as he stays true to his own ideals and convictions.