On Friday, Ross Gerber, president and CEO of GerberKawasaki, joined Benzinga’s PreMarket Prep show.
During the interview, Gerber told the story of the backlash he endured on Twitter, Inc. TWTR after once tweeting about President Donald Trump.
“When Trump got elected, I was pretty pissed off and I tweeted something that was really stupid,” Gerber said.
In response to the tweet, Gerber said an army of Trump supporters descended upon his Twitter account.
“They made up stories that I was threatening the president’s life and this and that. The Secret Service came to my office. I mean, it was insane,” Gerber said.
Who Uses Twitter?
Gerber said the attackers posted his address and pictures of his family and he even received death threats.
“It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and it went on for two days. After two days, they shut the computers off and it just stopped. And I realized probably half of Twitter isn’t real,” he said.
“The only people that use Twitter really are a small slice of people who are very engaged with the news, the media and all the people trying to manipulate the media.”
Gerber said this dynamic creates an odd environment composed of people distributing information, people accessing information and people venting their frustrations about the world.
While there are plenty of things to dislike about the platform, Gerber said it’s a must-have for any investor.
“I think it’s one of the best sources of information for investors. In fact, if you’re an investor and you’re not on Twitter, you’re at a serious disadvantage,” he said.
Benzinga’s Take
Twitter and other social media platforms have gotten widely criticized for the spread of inaccurate information on their platforms. To a certain extent, Twitter and other social media companies benefit financially from controversial content and conflict on their platforms because they increase user engagement and advertising revenue.
Do you agree with this take? Email feedback@benzinga.com with your thoughts.
Watch to the full interview with Ross Gerber in the clip below, or listen to the podcast here
PreMarket Prep is a daily trading show hosted by prop trader Dennis Dick and former floor trader Joel Elconin. You can watch PreMarket Prep live every day from 8-9 a.m. ET here. The replay can be found on Benzinga's YouTube channel, and the podcast is on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Tunein.
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