Who is Marjorie Taylor Greene and why Twitter suspended her account
Social media is a helpful, informative tool when used correctly. However, this double-edged sword can also prove to be harmful if wielded wrongfully. One such incident of wrong usage compelled popular social media handle Twitter to suspend the account of one of its users. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an American politician, was permanently banned from the platform for repeatedly violating its strict rules and regulations. She has been accused of spreading misinformation and fake news about the novel coronavirus. Read on to know more about what happened.
Who is Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Marjorie Taylor Greene, often referred to with her initials, MTG, is an American politician and businesswoman hailing from Milledgeville, Georgia. An avid supporter of former president Donald Trump, MTG was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives and represents Georgia’s 14th district. Her career has been filled with controversies including incitement and endorsement of political violence, incendiary statements, etc.- all of which resulted in her removal from all her committee roles early in February 2021. She is also popular amongst white extremists due to her explicit support of far-right, racist, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
What did MTG do to make Twitter suspend her account?
The recent incident is not the first time that the Republican found herself in troubled water for spreading false/ misinformation on Twitter. In fact, it was her fifth time doing so, even with consistent warnings from the platform which she ignored. MTG claimed in one of her Tweets that the coronavirus vaccines were leading to an extremely high number of deaths. She supported this claim with the inclusion of a misleading, unverified data chart which she acquired from an outdated, self-reported system known as Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS.)
Twitter stated that this was her “fifth strike” and hence her account would be suspended with immediate effect. In her previous Tweets, MTG stated to her audience that vaccines are ineffective and failing, and that the virus is not dangerous hence jabs should not be mandated in the first place.
Why the suspension?
Twitter, along with its social media counterparts, is placing immense emphasis on the verification of information and removal of all kinds of misinformation. This comes after criticism about the easy, unchecked spread of fake news on such platforms. Medical news related to Covid is especially taken more seriously by Twitter, as seen in this situation.