We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought. Why? A few reasons…🧵
— jack 🌍🌏🌎 (@jack) October 30, 2019
Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, made an announcement, saying, he would ban any political ads on Twitter from here onwards. “While internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant ‘risks to politics’, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions,” Dorsey added.
Counteracting to what Mark Zukerberg said previously – “We’re working hard to stop people from gaming our systems to spread misleading info, but if someone pays us to target and force people to see their political ad…well…they can say whatever they want! “ – Dorsey further clarified his will not to advertise any form of political agendas on Twitter, reassuring the users being fairly-treated.
Credits to Nasdaq
Why does Dorsey’s statement matter? Twitter’s stock price has been declining since a drastic drop on 25 October. Unlike the rising concern about Twitter turning its interest to the advertisers and commercialising more, Dorsey insisted on prioritising ethics. “Best to focus our efforts on the root problems, without the additional burden and complexity taking money brings. Trying to fix both means fixing neither well, and harms our credibility.”
Amid a volatile change in general election date and the Brexit, Twitter is expected to act its role as a platform that shares fair information. Since the young generation utilises Twitter as part of their political engagement, Jack Dorsey’s stance sounds like a good stand.
Words: Kim Se Hee
Photo: Nasdaq, Tim Hardwick