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Marketing Theory, 21 (2), 277 - 286. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593121992539 29 Kravets, O., Preece, C., & Maclaran, P. (2020). Editorial: Troubled times demand heroes: Heroic marketing and marketing heroes. The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk was welcomed with an even mix of horror and excitement. Moving beyond understanding vulnerability as a researcher's failure, Steadman reveals how memories and unexpected futures can trigger a researcher's vulnerability during fieldwork. [Extracted from the article]

This article investigates a neglected aspect of charismatic authority: the problem of economic practices of charismatic leaders and their communities. Drawing on Weber's classical theory of charisma, I argue that charismatic communities and their ideologies economically operate on principles of gift and bounty. I demonstrate the value of this analysis on a contemporary case of Elon Musk's charisma and his involvement with the Dogecoin cryptocurrency through Twitter. Through analysis of Musk's performances and his admirers' online activity, I argue that to those who believed in Musk, his involvement constituted either a gift to the community or a bounty-hunter-like feat that further enhanced his charismatic authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OpenAI is a research organization founded by, among others, Elon Musk, and supported by Microsoft. In November 2022, it released ChatGPT, an incredibly sophisticated chatbot, that is, a computer system with which humans can converse. The capability of this chatbot is astonishing: as well as conversing with human interlocutors, it can answer questions about history, explain almost anything you might think to ask it, and write poetry. This level of achievement has provoked interest in questions about whether a chatbot might have something similar to human intelligence and even whether one could be conscious. Given that the function of a chatbot is to process linguistic input and produce linguistic output, we consider that the most interesting question in this direction is whether a sophisticated chatbot might have inner speech. That is: might it talk to itself, internally? We explored this via a conversation with 'Playground', a chatbot which is very similar to ChatGPT but more flexible in certain respects. We put to it questions which, plausibly, can only be answered if one first produces some inner speech. Here, we present our findings and discuss their philosophical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cryptocurrency market cap has experienced a great increase in recent years. However, large price fluctuations demonstrate the need for governance structures and identify whether there are market manipulations. In this article, we conduct three analyses—social media data analysis, blockchain data analysis, and price bubble analysis—to investigate whether market manipulation exists on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin platforms. Social media data analysis aims to find the reasons for price fluctuations. Blockchain data analysis is used to find detailed behavior of the manipulators. Price bubble analysis is used to investigate the relation between price fluctuation and manipulators' behavior. By using the three analyses, we show that market manipulation exists on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. However, market manipulation of Bitcoin is limited, and for most of Bitcoin's price fluctuations, we found other explanations. The price for Ethereum is the most sensitive to technical updates. Technical companies/teams usually hype some new concepts (e.g., ICO, DeFi), which causes a price spike. The price of Dogecoin has a high correlation with Elon Musk's X (formerly known as Twitter) activity, showing that influential individuals have the ability to manipulate its prices. In addition, the poor monetary liquidity of Dogecoin allows some users to manipulate its price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent medical breakthrough, Elon Musk's startup company Neuralink implanted the first brain chip in a human patient, purportedly for aiding paralysis. While certainly representing a significant medical milestone for many patients afflicted with debilitating brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, it must be noted that this very same technology can also be manipulated for human memory or cognitive enhancement. What happens if a brain chip were to be developed that can significantly improve either IQ (intelligence quotient) or memory, and these were then implanted in people to enhance their performance in highly competitive national examinations for college entrance or gaining employment in civil service positions? This article therefore discusses the ethical implications of this nascent technology platform, and whether its use in competitive national examinations should be banned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The current state of social media research struggles to keep pace with a social media ecosystem that features quickly proliferating new platforms and the reinvention of existing platforms. In this perspective article, we encourage social media researchers to adopt systems thinking perspectives to cope with this reality. By thinking systemically, we hope that scholars of social media may be able to uncover complex phenomena that may help to address some of the wicked problems in social media research. We also hope that the field may benefit from scholars discussing the implications of their work in ways that relate to the systemic context of the social media platforms that they study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even after Elon Musk announced Twitter Blue, subscription services such as Snapchat+, YouTube Premium and Meta Verified, remain an uncritiqued aspect of social media. Within this article, subscription services on social media take centre stage. This article focuses on three key points: First, subscription services have remained uncritiqued because of the blind spot created by the emphasis on data collection. Second, the Social Media Subscription Model (SMSM) now asserts social media as part of a mixed model (Fuchs 2020, 134) instead of only being considered as an advertising model. Third, applying the classical Marxian twist of capitalism as self-negating, the SMSM is also a structural response to a contradiction of "peak data", meaning how does social media sustain itself if commodifies all data? Stressing the necessity of viewing the SMSM and social media as part of a Mixed Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The contemporary business environment steered by forces of globalization, digitization and automation can only be navigated by a resilient workforce. This requires inculcating self-leadership (SL) traits in individuals, which will allow them to exercise self-direction and self-motivation required to survive high-strain situations. The SL characteristics most significantly reflected by Musk are self-goal setting, authenticity and responsibility. Least evidence was found for positive self-talk and self-cueing. This study aims to add to the repertoire of leadership studies, furnishing important implications for academia and practice. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, the authors explore the dimensionality of SL through a systematic literature review. The authors also take the case of Elon Musk, one of the most resilient technopreneurs in the contemporary business world, and scrutinize his journey as a self-leader. Findings: The SL characteristics most significantly reflected by Musk are self-goal setting, authenticity and responsibility. Least evidence was found for positive self-talk and self-cueing. This study adds to the repertoire of leadership studies, furnishing important implications for academia and practice. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to explore the controversial Elon Musk's leadership style through the prism of SL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration of Twitter users to Mastodon following Elon Musk's acquisition presents a unique opportunity to study collective behavior and gain insights into the drivers of coordinated behavior in online media. We analyzed the social network and the public conversations of about 75,000 migrated users and observed that the temporal trace of their migrations is compatible with a phenomenon of social influence, as described by a compartmental epidemic model of information diffusion. Drawing from prior research on behavioral change, we delved into the factors that account for variations of the effectiveness of the influence process across different Twitter communities. Communities in which the influence process unfolded more rapidly exhibit lower density of social connections, higher levels of signaled commitment to migrating, and more emphasis on shared identity and exchange of factual knowledge in the community discussion. These factors account collectively for 57% of the variance in the observed data. Our results highlight the joint importance of network structure, commitment, and psycho-linguistic aspects of social interactions in characterizing grassroots collective action, and contribute to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms that drive processes of behavior change of online groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing a critical approach typical of humanities-based research, this article investigates the changing nature of toxic leadership in our digital world. Drawing on the perspective of media ecology, which asserts that the prevailing communication technologies at a given moment create the social conditions that, in turn, condition us, the authors illustrate how the digital logics of publicity, intransigence, impertinence, and impulsivity remake the contours of leadership. Based on a critical case study of Elon Musk's public management of Twitter, which has subsequently been rebranded as "X", it is argued that the four digital logics transform toxic leadership into digital authoritarianism, an unabashed form of authoritarian rule. A concluding section of the essay explores the implications of this evolution for traditional categories of leadership; the importance of attending to communication technologies in leadership research; and the individual, institutional, and social harms of digital authoritarianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the acquisition process of Twitter by Elon Musk. It will analyze the legal validity of Musk's initial claims for rescinding his offer, as well as Twitter's defense arguments. It will consider questions such as: Did Twitter cause a material adverse effect to its operations that would be a basis for Musk to avoid the deal? Did Musk run afoul of any regulatory requirements under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations? What impact did the ultimate sale of Twitter have on other stakeholders, such as corporate executives and non-executives, shareholders, employees. The paper further examines some of the resulting preand post-acquisition issues that emerged, why they may remain nagging issues, and the lessons learned from the Twitter purchase debacle for the future of corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically interrogates Elon Musk's celebrity image through an analysis of Musk's appearance in the podcast The Joe Rogan's Experience. It shows that the billionaire's public persona is a constitutive part of his corporate strategy, and introduces the concept of 'celebrity management' to theorise how the affordances of celebrity can be mobilised to create conditions for a company to operate. Combining celebrity studies with critical political economy, Musk's stardom is situated in the context of financialised capitalism, addressing the systemic contradictions contained (and artificially solved) in his image, while also demonstrating that it is tactically deployed to further financialised logics of his companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the complexities and foresight of Mars colonization. There are many pioneers competing in a space race to Mars, for example, Elon Musk – SpaceX, Jeff Bezos – Blue Origin and Richard Branson – Virgin Orbit. The analyses are focused on the aerospace industry – the process of space adventures to Mars. Design/methodology/approach: This study offers new methodological approaches – the development of a complexity metric and system innovation mode – to analyze how the complexities relate to the systemic nature of innovation. The complexity metric and system innovation model can be applied in various industries. These analysis tools can help gain insights into the strategies for achieving the diffusion of commercial space. Findings: The analyses of findings have shown that, despite various attempts among the pioneers in a space race to colonize Mars (Elon Musk – SpaceX, Jeff Bezos – Blue Origin and Richard Branson – Virgin Orbit, among others), the aerospace industry has not yet reached a stage of commercialization. The commercial space to Mars is of low systemic nature at present. Many companies compete in a space race to develop technologies on a proprietary basis. However, the highest complexity level suggests a multinational and intergovernmental collaboration to achieve economies of scale and economies of scope as well as accelerate the process of technology diffusion – successful commercial space for the interplanetary settlement. Originality/value: The main contribution that shows originality and value of this paper is the development of a complexity metric and system innovation model which can be used to explore how the complexities relate to the systemic nature of innovation and how they relate to the strategies in managing technological innovations. The new methodological approaches can be used and applied to various industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022. Topics include Twitter continues to be a digital home to some, but like many homes, it is not free of conflict, power relations, and harm; and aiding the international reach of Black media in Britain (Sobande, 2020) and both the creation and accessibility of archives.

Despite the prominence of Durkheim in social theory, various threads of work did continue around the processes of private people coming together to form publics that cut across social categories such as collective identity. (https://twitter.com/fstflofscholars/status/1589273618995109892) The observation about Twitter and what constitutes the social here is apt and seems to be what Musk is missing. On October 27, 2022, the world's wealthiest person walked into the San Francisco headquarters of Twitter Inc. carrying a kitchen sink. Back in the spring of 2022, Musk posted a tweet saying, "Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy" (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1507777261654605828). [Extracted from the article]

Since the announcement of the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk, the risks for the future of the social network suggest the advent of a "Frankenstein 2.0" – a notion that refers to large technology companies whose control escapes their creators. Behind this event, the question of technological drifts and their impact on society arises. This is an opportunity for governments, and in particular the Canadian government, which promotes open data and technology policies, to redefine the game rules. In this sense, some recommendations are proposed, especially to consolidate the normative framework of technologies in Canada. The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), currently in discussion at the Parliament, should go further in terms of the automated systems transparency and strengthen its requirements for the "algorithmic" data governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se presenta un editorial que discute sobre la evolución en el ámbito empresarial, como el cambio de nombre de Facebook a Meta y la adquisición de Twitter por Elon Musk. También se destaca el papel creciente de la inteligencia artificial, incluyendo el uso de GPT-4 y la discusión en torno a su regulación. Se examina cómo la inteligencia artificial se utiliza en la investigación científica y se enfatiza la necesidad de transparencia y ética en su uso. El artículo concluye con un análisis de diversos artículos académicos en el ámbito de la comunicación y el audiovisual.

Purpose: Instead of merely adding a socially popular mission to its existing business goals, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has innovated its operations by working backwards from its mission of saving the planet by making and selling a vast number of electric cars in order to help remove a principal cause of an approaching global environmental disaster. Design/methodology/approach: When Elon Musk became CEO in 2008, Tesla's mission of saving the planet by replacing gasoline-driven cars with electric cars seemed a preposterous overreach. Findings: Tesla is not only making extraordinary progress towards the accomplishment of its mission, but the mission serves as an accelerator of its business generally and its innovations in particular. Practical implications: The example of CEO Musk showing up on the factory floor, and working shoulder to shoulder with the staff in teams and mobs to solve urgent bottleneck issues sets the tone of Tesla's workplace. The overriding preoccupation with accelerating innovation is enabled by modularity in design. Originality/value: A unique study of Tesla's post-Agile management innovations by an expert on Agile teams and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a textual analysis that explains how Elon Musk's sentiments in his Twitter content correlates with price and volatility in the Bitcoin market using the dynamic conditional correlation-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model, allowing less sensitive to window size than traditional models. After examining 10,850 tweets containing 157,378 words posted from December 2017 to May 2021 and rigorously controlling other determinants, we found that the tone of the world's wealthiest person can drive the Bitcoin market, having a Granger causal relation with returns. In addition, Musk is likely to use positive words in his tweets, and reversal effects exist in the relationship between Bitcoin prices and the optimism presented by Tesla's CEO. However, we did not find evidence to support linkage between Musk's sentiments and Bitcoin volatility. Our results are also robust when using a different cryptocurrency, i.e., Ether this paper extends the existing literature about the mechanisms of social media content generated by influential accounts on the Bitcoin market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]