Bloomberg News reports that the Netherlands’ first transgender MP announced that she had quit Twitter following a series of hateful comments that, according to her, undermine a healthy discussion.
Why did Lisa Van Ginneken Quit Twitter?
Lisa van Ginneken, a Dutch member of parliament since last March, said that the popular microblogging social media platform does not have nuance and is a place of hate. In a statement on Thursday, she said that she no longer wants her tweets or likes to trigger this dynamic. Instead, she prefers to concentrate on her role as a parliament member and fostering her government’s improvement. While announcing the same, she also shared a few examples of those messages that she has received.
Twitter Inc, along with other politicians, has long been struggling with regulating hate speech on this platform. Further, there were concerns when Elon Musk took over the platform, which is called “a free speech absolutist.”
Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch Finance Minister, revealed that it is difficult for women to speak out on social media. Research conducted by Groene Amsterdammer, a weekly news magazine, last year revealed that about every 15 minutes, Kaag was getting hateful tweets.
Troll Armies and Hate Bots Galore on Twitter
Bloomberg News reports that according to Van Ginneken, Twitter is a platform where the hate bots and the troll armies are active and have fueled polarization time and again. She is also a member of the progressive centrist D66 party. She also said that she will be available on other social media platforms and is not worried that her visibility will become less as a politician following her exit from Twitter Inc.
Will Twitter Inc become more?
Elon Musk said at the beginning of this month that he intends to set up a content moderation council, including “widely diverse viewpoints.” Given Elon Musk’s views about free speech, Van Ginneken said she is not hopeful that the platform will become more responsible soon.
The lawmaker also said that she will be requesting the Dutch government to speak up about hate speech and that any regulation related to social media platforms must be at the European Union Level. She went on to say that she is planning to take this step to free herself and ensure that other people will be inspired.