From the moment it hit the news earlier this year, I expressed my belief that mega-billionaire Elon Musk’s stated intention of restoring some semblance of free speech on Twitter was the “most consequential thing” he will do in his life. Given that I was addressing the richest man in the world who could eventually be personally responsible for sending the first human to Mars, that was a bold statement and one which I stand firmly by today.

Twitter is, after all, arguably the most consequential social media platform in the world. That’s because its format creates the ideal battleground of ideas, a place where anyone with an email address and internet access can interact with and directly challenge celebrities, politicians, and journalists alike.

And though the overall user counts don’t match that of other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, the fact that people with opinions gravitate towards Twitter as a place to share them – meaning that virtually every newsmaker and journalist is there with an established presence – puts the social media platform at the top of the heap in terms of relevance and importance.