Earlier this year, Elon Musk made a tweet stating his intentions to purchase Twitter, one of the world’s leading social media platforms.

This does not come as a shock to many, as Musk repeatedly complained about the website’s management. After  briefly facing  the possibility of a lawsuit following his attempt to back out of the deal, Musk concluded the acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion on Oct. 27.

Musk has been the owner of Twitter for little over a month, but he is already proving to be making some very divisive choices, such as including an $8 fee for a blue verification check mark, laying off over half of Twitter’s employees and reinstating former President Donald Trump’s account.

These $8 checkmarks are leading to a spike in accounts impersonating businesses and celebrities. One of these accounts, an Eli Lilly & Co. impersonator, caused the primary manufacturer of insulin to experience a 4% drop in its stock value by tweeting that they were making the drug free.

English teacher William Kaskay is avoiding Twitter because of Musk’s acquisition.

“I am avoiding Twitter right now,” Kaskay said. “I am relying more on Reddit, YouTube and podcasts to get news.”

Kaskay fears the radicalization of Twitter and wonders about the future of the platform.

“Honestly, I am concerned about people that should not be platformed being re-platformed,” Kaskay said. “I wonder if people are going to migrate to other platforms or if that is already happening.”

Senior John Sabourin believes that Tumblr is going to be a hotspot for those migrating away from Twitter.

“Tumblr has gotten a huge new user base from the fall of Twitter,” Sabourin said. “Personally, I would never use Tumblr.”

Sabourin also believes that Musk is losing both his credibility and following.

“A lot of people who used to follow him stopped after his recent actions,” Sabourin said. “The people who remain by his side and support his every decision are definitely 12 and under.”

Senior Cassidy Gunter opposes Twitter Blue, the new service that gives a blue checkmark to all who purchase it.

“Why should you be able to pay to be verified,” Gunter said. “I feel like the only reason to buy it is as a joke. Twitter Blue is pitiful and I laugh at those who purchase it.”

Gunter is an infrequent Twitter user, but she is upset about the direction the site is headed towards.

“I hope this shows people that we can not trust elitists like Musk to run an app focused on free speech and creativity,” Gunter said. “Before Musk bought Twitter it was running with a large staff, so they had lots of differing opinions. It was not a dictatorship, unlike now.”

Gunter understands why many are calling this the downfall of Twitter, and believes it is a fair statement to make.

“It is just going to get worse for the individuals who use Twitter,” Gunter said. “People were preparing for the site to be shut down, so I feel like that will be the reality at some point.”

While the future of Twitter is not certain, Gunter does not see a positive future for the platform.

“I can not see Twitter going in a positive direction under Musk’s ownership,” Gunter said. “He has to get used to people criticizing him in order to be successful.”