In November 2021, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey announced his resignation from Twitter, with Parag Agrawal named the company's new CEO.

Agrawal has many problems to tackle as he takes over in the hot seat, with the platform struggling to keep online peace and please its shareholders.

In recent years, several cracks have appeared in the way that Twitter works. The platform has a toxic culture in many of its corners, especially in politics. And on a more business level, it's beginning to lag behind other social media platforms—which will not please its shareholders.

So, what are all of the primary issues that Twitter's new CEO needs to fix? How can he get things moving in the right direction? Let's take a look...

1. Harassment and Abuse

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Jack Dorsey announced his resignation on 29 November, with Agrawal set to take on the role of CEO with immediate effect. This means he can get started with addressing harassment on the platform without delay.

If you've regularly used Twitter for an extended period, you'll know that not everyone has good intentions. Unfortunately, many users receive a barrage of abuse in their mentions daily—and it doesn't matter whether you're an average person or a well-known figure.

Many prominent people have left Twitter due to the abuse they receive. Ex-Arsenal and Barcelona soccer star Thierry Henry deleted his account in March 2021, along with his other social media profiles—stating that he would delete his online presence "until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms".

Related: How to Erase Your Social Media Presence

One significant contributor to hostility on Twitter is the mob mentality that many users adopt. You can see this in the regular vitriol that sports stars receive from opposition fans, and sometimes their own if they don't play well or their team loses. It's also visible in online "pile ons".

Granted, Twitter has taken steps to tackle harassment. For example, users can filter the mentions they see. Moreover, Twitter introduced "Safety Mode" in 2021—which lets you temporarily block accounts that send offensive language or unwanted replies.

However, the platform still has a long way to go before harassment becomes less commonplace. Fighting this issue should be Agrawal's top priority. If he doesn't make a significant effort to do so, more users will likely leave the platform in the future.

2. Balancing Free Speech

Photo of a person shouting through a loudspeaker

In the past, Twitter has been accused of censorship. This again came to the forefront of people's minds after it announced that you cannot share pictures of others without their consent.

This has led to some people questioning the potential issues this might cause. For example, Twitter is a crucial platform for identifying criminals and helping to find missing people; so many users are worried that both of these will become significantly more difficult.

Twitter's former CEO expressed the importance of letting people talk before leaving. While he defended the decision to ban former US President Donald Trump in January 2021, Dorsey also mentioned that banning an account has "ramifications". In a lengthy Twitter thread, the former CEO said that needing to suspend Trump was "a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation".

Misinformation can spread quickly on Twitter, and stopping this from happening is a joint effort from both the company and its users. However, Agrawal must also ensure that the platform promotes productive debates.

Related: How to Avoid Spreading Fake News During a Crisis

3. Twitter's Profitability

Photo of a man holding money in his hand Next to a Laptop

Twitter remains one of the largest social media platforms in the world. But in recent years, it has faced fierce competition from the likes of TikTok. And while it started different innovations, it also needs to think a little more outside the box.

The company still has a large active user base and a clear product of value. But in 2020, Twitter's profits rose by just 7%—totaling $3.7 billion. In terms of operating profit, this was $26 million.

COVID-19 no doubt played a role in Twitter's profit results, but some might also argue that the platform has done little to innovate in the face of an increasingly-competitive social media landscape. At the end of the day, Twitter is still a business—and Agrawal will no doubt want to please shareholders.

4. Polarization

Even before the pandemic, Twitter had a lot of divisions on its platform. However, the events of 2020 placed these issues further in the spotlight.

When it comes to politics and controversial topics, Twitter can be particularly divisive at times. But compared to other platforms, it's much easier to send a reply to almost anyone. On Facebook, you're largely confined to people you know—but Twitter is more of a public forum in comparison.

Polarization on Twitter and other social media has significant consequences for society. It stifles balanced and necessary conversations, and in worst-case scenarios, it can threaten people's safety. Agrawal will need to do more to stop this from causing further issues.

With bot and influence networks continuing to operate on the platform to sow divisions and spread discord, Twitter needs to find more innovate ways to tackle the problem.

Related: Does Social Media Do More Harm Than Good for Society?

5. Beginner-Friendliness

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Once you know how to use Twitter, the platform becomes much more straightforward. But in the beginning, it's daunting.

Twitter is challenging to understand for several reasons. One is that a small proportion of its users overwhelmingly produce most of its content. In 2019, Pew Research Center found that 10% of users were responsible for 80% of content shared on the site.

Because of this, Twitter has a lot of inside rules and social norms. It's challenging for users to get to grips with these, along with the jokes and information overload.

Helping beginners understand Twitter's culture is challenging, but it's something that the new CEO needs to figure out. If he doesn't, any growth in daily active users won't be as significant as could otherwise have been the case.

6. International Expansion

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One possible explanation for Twitter's stagnated growth is that the platform is relatively small in many parts of the world.

Twitter is huge in the US, Japan, the UK, and India. However, it could be doing more to expand its influence in emerging markets. In particular, it should look at Spanish-speaking countries as an opportunity—for example, only 4.3 million of Colombia's 50 million people use Twitter, according to Statista.

The likes of TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have enjoyed global success because they've been able to adapt to several international markets. And for Twitter to succeed, Agrawal must think about how his company can do in this regard.

Twitter’s New CEO Has His Job Cut Out

Twitter remains one of the world's most important social media platforms. But toward the end of Dorsey's tenure, it was clear that several issues needed fixing.

The site must do more to tackle hostility; if it doesn't, more users will leave. Pressure from celebrities and influential groups—such as sports leagues—might (and should) prompt Twitter to take this issue more seriously.

Beyond the toxic culture that tarnishes many corners of Twitter, the company also needs to look at the long-term game from a business perspective. It still has plenty of room for growth in both English-speaking and non-English speaking markets, but it must seize these opportunities.