Contributors
In the span of just a few months, we’ve seen some of the biggest shake-ups in social media history—changes from Elon Musk’s transformative Twitter takeover, Mark Zuckerberg’s race to adopt similar “freedom of speech” strategies, and now the potential ban of TikTok in the United States.
Each of these moves has massive implications not just for social media users, but also for brands, marketers, and advertisers across the globe.
Elon Musk officially acquired Twitter on October 27, 2022, in a deal worth around $44 billion. Overnight, the platform pivoted from publicly traded to privately owned.
Although Twitter was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange soon after, Musk’s personal brand fueled significant chatter about the company’s valuation—an indirect uptick in sentiment that some argue benefitted his broader business ventures (including Tesla). While the direct “Twitter stock” story may have ended with the delisting, the idea of “Musk effect” on tech investments generally remains undeniable.
Shortly after the takeover, Musk fired roughly half of Twitter’s staff, drastically reducing operational costs.
This was seen as a brutal but effective way to stanch financial losses. For advertisers, the question became: If content moderation teams are slashed, can we still ensure brand safety?
By easing moderation policies, Musk positioned Twitter as a bastion of free speech. Critics, however, argued that the platform was veering toward politically charged, right-wing content. Still, in the short term, more “free-flowing” discussions attracted a wave of new users—offering advertisers an expanded pool of potential customers and cheaper ad space.
Not to be overshadowed, Mark Zuckerberg has been making moves of his own. Reports suggest he’s mending fences with political figures, including Donald Trump, who has shown renewed interest in mainstream social platforms.
Whether or not you view this as a shift rightward, it does reflect a strategic recalibration reminiscent of Musk’s approach—less restrictive content policies to drive user engagement.
According to The Economic Times, Meta recently announced plans to lay off the bottom 5% of its employees, citing a leaked memo (Source). This mirrors Musk’s cost-cutting spree, suggesting Zuckerberg might be adopting Musk’s lean-operations strategy to improve Meta’s profitability.
Much like Musk’s Twitter, Meta’s gradual relaxation of certain moderation policies reflects a belief that giving users more “freedom of speech” can drive engagement and thus advertising revenue. However, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health raises concerns over science misinformation if fact-checking policies become lax
(Source).
The question remains: Will profitability always trump (see what I did there) morality in the battle for digital dominance?
According to The Guardian (Jan 19), the United States was set to ban TikTok as of Monday, effectively taking the platform offline for millions of American users. Yet, after going dark for users in the US, Donald Trump’s last minute intervention seems to have delayed or halted the ban altogether (Pitchfork)
If TikTok does indeed go dark, Instagram Reels and Twitter’s fledgling video features could gain a massive influx of creators and viewers looking for a new digital home. This shift could cement either Musk or Zuckerberg as the new “king” of viral video content—holding sway over cultural conversations and the broader media narrative.
In a direct effort to woo short-form creators and fill any void left by TikTok, Instagram has announced that Reels can now be up to three minutes long, according to CNBCTV18. By extending the maximum runtime, Meta aims to attract former TikTok stars who seek more creative freedom—and to keep pace with audience demands.
Brands once relied heavily on TikTok to reach younger demographics. With the platform facing an uncertain future, Twitter or Meta might fill that void. But here’s the kicker: If both platforms prioritize minimal moderation for maximum profitability, advertisers could face a choice between ignoring brand safety concerns or losing access to massive online audiences.
From a digital marketing standpoint, the interplay between user growth and content moderation is critical. While relaxed policies can spike user engagement and draw in big advertiser dollars in the short term, it can also lead to brand-safety disasters (e.g., ads appearing alongside hateful or misleading content).
What if all the major platforms that remain adopt similarly lax moderation rules? Will we see a race to the bottom where brand safety takes a back seat to reach and ROI?
Some brands might adapt by loosening their guidelines in order to access these massive audiences. Others may prefer to pull out entirely, awaiting clearer brand-safe policies elsewhere.
The challenge lies with being able to adopt a flexible advertising strategy—diversifying spend across multiple platforms, monitoring brand sentiment closely, and being prepared to pivot if the content environment sours.
Ultimately – profitability and morality often sit at opposite sides, and most businesses may be forced to adopt laxer brand safety in order to compete.
In this fast-evolving social media landscape:
But the big question looms: Will brand safety be sacrificed in the name of profitability? If so, advertisers may find themselves in a predicament: either relax brand guidelines to harness these huge audiences or risk losing out on a massive share of the social media pie.
One thing is certain—the coming days could mark a transformative moment in the social media world. Stay tuned; the battle for digital supremacy—and the fight to steal TikTok’s spotlight—is only beginning.
But the big question looms: Will brand safety be sacrificed in the name of profitability? If so, advertisers may find themselves in a predicament: either relax brand guidelines to harness these huge audiences or risk losing out on a massive share of the social media pie.
One thing is certain—the coming days could mark a transformative moment in the social media world. Stay tuned; the battle for digital supremacy—and the fight to steal TikTok’s spotlight—is only beginning.
