Twitter's Troubled Legacy Exposed in BBC Documentary

The film explores Twitter's early flaws, societal impact, and the challenges of balancing free speech with moderation, while largely bypassing its rebranding as 'X.'

The BBC documentary 'Twitter: Breaking the Bird' examines the platform's foundational issues, including its failure to anticipate abuse and societal consequences.
Twitter's early leadership prioritized free speech over moderation, leading to unchecked harassment and misinformation, as highlighted by the case of Ariel Waldman.
The platform's rapid growth outpaced its technical infrastructure, resulting in frequent crashes and an inability to address systemic challenges.
Twitter's role in pivotal global events, such as the Arab Spring and Black Lives Matter, is contrasted with its facilitation of harmful content like hate speech and misinformation.
The documentary focuses on Twitter's early years and societal impact but omits significant recent developments, including Elon Musk's rebranding of the platform as 'X.'