I Studied Trump’s Twitter Use for Six Years. Prepare for the Worst.

Nothing new Twitter owner Elon Musk has done and undone is nearly as concerning as his decision to suddenly reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account. As someone who has been studying Trump’s Twitter use since before he was elected president, I believe that his return would mean the heightened spread of both misinformation and disinformation, the proliferation of degrading and dehumanizing discourse, the further mainstreaming of hate speech, and the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. But there is something else: Trump’s return to Twitter could escalate the likelihood of political violence. Simply put, if you are surrounded by dry kindling, add an accelerant and light a match, conflagration is the predictable outcome.

[Brian L. Ott, professor of communication at Missouri State University, is a co-author of “The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage.”]