LOL that's not an argument that's six paragraphs of inchoate fear. No one - NO ONE - said "oh Trump became president due to Twitter." We got a bunch of conspiracy theories, we got a bunch of finger-pointing at social media, we got incontrovertible evidence of Russian interference, but not a single person - not a one - said 'oh, it's Twitter all the way, baby.'

You can't step in the same river twice.

Social media is, soup to nuts, gamified conversation. That's it, that's the whole enchilada. Talk plus points with rules. People play it because we like games. We may not think of it as a game but "game theory" isn't about checkers, it's about competition, collaboration and cooperation. You say something witty on Twitter, other people award you points in four ways (like, retweet, retweet and comment, reply). Now? now five, because apparently Twitter thinks they need downvotes? After all, everywhere else with a downvote has fostered the shit out of conversation. Either way, the rules of Twitter, as shown to the players, are simpler than the rules of Go Fish.

We all know those aren't the actual rules, though, because there's moderation and banning and algorithmic chicanery and other bullshit that everyone gripes about because everyone always gripes about the ref. That's okay, though, because everyone always gripes about the ref. It's not like the ref gets to score points.

OH WAIT.

Look - Aaron Rogers is rich, right? Maybe he buys Lambeau Field, sells tickets at a 50% discount if you bring in a sign that says "Fuck the Buckaneers." Is that going to affect Tom Brady when he plays there? Probably not a lot because Brady is a professional and no matter what, Aaron Rogers can't throw on a striped shirt.

Trump played Twitter, and he played it really well. As with most egocentric psychopaths, the game became his life. When he wasn't president? No reason to kick him off, he was great for engagement. When he was president? Well now he's president. Can't kick him off. Until he tried to burn the Reichstag, at which point even Silicon Valley has to pay lip service to fairness.

Do you really think Elon Musk is at all interested in paying lip service to fairness?

Do you really think Donald Trump is at all interested in operating on Twitter WITH ELON MUSK'S PERMISSION?

'cuz that's what we're talking about here - Trump tweeting at the courtesy of the king. If Trump uses Elon Musk's service, he's using Elon Musk's service. He is kissing the fucking ring. Now will he? Sure, maybe. Do you think Elon Musk hasn't thought about this? I honestly don't know, dude seems to go off half-cocked on the reg. I'd love to YOLO around 43 billion at a time, I'd make different choices that's for sure. Either way, if Trump wants to play in that park, he's handing Elon Musk his leash. And if neither of them know it now, they'll know it the first time anything vaguely controversial happens.

See, there are actual things to worry about here, actual events, actual concrete actions that will lead to other concrete actions and such. There's a lot of grist for the mill between "Musk buys Twitter" and "Trump wins 2024" that all you studiously chin-stroking intellectuals are just leapfrogging the fuck over because it feels better to panic.