Elon Musk was at the news epicentre Thursday, from stripping Pope Francis of Twitter verification to Tesla’s drag on stocks and the explosion of the world’s largest rocket. Three utterly disparate stories dominated global news in a way that underlined the extraordinary influence of the one person who connects them all –- Musk. Elon Musk has outsized capability to sway the news cycle,” University of Florida assistant media professor Andrew Selepak told AFP.
Musk has quickly gone from being an innovator few knew of to a “tech billionaire playboy who has almost taken the place of Donald Trump as a Twitter troll,” Selepak said.
Twitter began the mass removal of blue ticks on Thursday, with the symbol previously signifying a verified account vanishing from users including the Pope, Donald Trump and Justin Bieber. The Big Sort: Twitter ticks check out
Twitter’s owner, Musk, who has seen his $44 billion investment in the site shrivel, had pledged to get rid of what he described as a “lords & peasants system. The platform had been providing free blue checkmarks to the accounts of high-profile users to show they were who they claimed to be.
Musk’s switch does away with verifying who is behind accounts, with the checks now simply indicating who has paid a monthly subscription fee. Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart described Musk’s blue checkmarks as “receipts” rather than verification.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Everything you need to know about Mzansi’s Sushi King Kenny Kunene
Kenny Kunene’s mansion and cars have often thrust him into the top trends leaving many trying to connect the dots about his sources of income.
Kunene is a celebrated South African businessman, entrepreneur and politician. His colourful business profile has thrust him amongst South Africa’s rich list. Thanks to his hard work for years, he undoubtedly lives a life of glitz and glamour. In recent years, he has made many headlines on the political scene. Learn more
