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Dennis Donovan

(30,416 posts)
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 08:26 AM 20 hrs ago

NYT: They Criticized Musk on X. Then Their Reach Collapsed

NYT - They Criticized Musk on X. Then Their Reach Collapsed. (Gift article)

By Stuart A. Thompson
April 22, 2025

/snip/

When Mr. Musk purchased X in 2022, he promised to create a free speech haven and named himself a “free speech absolutist.”

Critics still feared that Mr. Musk would use his control of the app to pick and choose his favorites, amplifying voices he admired while suppressing people or topics he loathed.

The New York Times found three users on X who feuded with Mr. Musk in December only to see their reach on the social platform practically vanish overnight. The accounts are the starkest signs yet that Mr. Musk or others at the company have the power to punish critics and that they may be willing to use it, startling free speech advocates who hoped that the billionaire would be their champion.

Concerns about Mr. Musk’s influence have grown alongside his political ambitions as one of President Trump’s closest allies. He has also set his sights on boosting far-right politics across the world.

“This is working against the type of environment that he claimed he wanted to build,” said Ari Cohn, the lead counsel for technology policy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy group. “Don’t sit here and cloak yourself in the First Amendment and free speech, and then do things like that.”

/snip
9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

tanyev

(46,152 posts)
1. He only supports free speech for the hate speech that kept getting shut down before he took over.
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 08:40 AM
20 hrs ago

newdeal2

(2,332 posts)
3. It's clearly rigged
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 09:00 AM
20 hrs ago

It's rigged in favor of whatever Eloon wants, which right now is conspiracies and RW agitation. Closed my account and have not cared one bit since.

ProfessorGAC

(72,378 posts)
4. "...startling free speech advocates who hoped that the billionaire would be their champion."
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 09:01 AM
20 hrs ago

These people are telling us they're stupid, without using the word "stupid".

Jarqui

(10,625 posts)
5. He did that to me during the election.
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 09:16 AM
19 hrs ago

I got into it with him directly.
It can be hard to tell because he has so many Elon Musk handles - which he has 'follow' you
I knew I was getting attention from all the Musk pseudonym follows.
But the main handle did exchange personal messages with me
He invited me to be part of some group which I ignored or declined.

But when I went after him for lying about immigration with links to prove my case, that was it.
After that, I would post but nobody would see it or read it or respond to it.
I was a paying subscriber. Never banned or suspended or even warned.
But permanently muzzled.

That appears to be how X works now. It filters out the dissenting voices to Musk's opinions or positions he approves of.

When that happens, how do you fight back?

I suspect he did that to help shape public opinion during the election - promoting Trumpers and muzzling those supporting Harris. I doubt he was alone in that endeavor in social media or the mainstream media.

Media is the great arbiter for democracy. The United States arbiter for democracy is significantly compromised. It is getting like Pravda - closer to state controlled now spewing or promoting its propaganda.
A lot closer to authoritarianism than most people realize ...

NCDem47

(2,781 posts)
7. I just don't understand why folks post Twitter links here on DU.
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 09:31 AM
19 hrs ago

I get it on some level. Some brands and individuals are still captive to the platform and are able to broadcast far and wide on it.

But still...

Just leave Twitter if you can and let's minimize traffic to there from DU. Musk and Twitter are not our friends.

mdbl

(6,255 posts)
9. It's not a free-speech platform, people need to quit using the F'ing thing.
Wed Apr 23, 2025, 12:42 PM
16 hrs ago

X is shit. Find another place.

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