Elon Musk will make Twitter worse – and it’s already a cesspit of Nazis and killjoys | Arwa Mahdawi

I am hopelessly addicted to Twitter, despite its many faults. Musk's takeover, and the likely return of Donald Trump, fills me with dread

How does he do it all? Elon Musk is a father of seven, a busy businessman, a would-be coloniser of Mars and a full-time internet troll. As if he didn't have enough on his plate, the world's richest and most attention-seeking man has also just reached a deal to buy Twitter for $44bn. Not content with simply spending an inordinate amount of time posting puerile jokes on the platform, he is now seizing the memes of production.

But don't worry: it is not just a vanity project, it's philanthropy". Musk has explained that he is buying Twitter to protect free speech and civil liberties. Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said in a statement posted to his new toy.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist