BBCX can really feel like two parallel universes at occasions.
There’s the model the place the president of the US chooses the platform to announce he gained’t be operating for re-election. That’s the one the place the worldwide authority on a specific topic makes use of X to supply their skilled tackle unfolding occasions.
After which there’s the model the place false claims, hate and conspiracy theories, together with many posts referring to the current riots and protests throughout the UK, are advisable to thousands and thousands who’ve made completely no try to hunt them out.
On the centre of all of it is X’s proprietor Elon Musk, one of many world’s richest individuals. However this isn’t only a story concerning the monetisation technique and algorithms employed by X underneath his tenure and the way they’re boosting divisive content material.
It’s more and more additionally a narrative about how Mr Musk himself is selecting to wade in, overtly, to opine on unrest within the UK.
And no one is sort of certain what his recreation plan is.
Stirring the pot
Mr Musk purchased what was then referred to as Twitter in 2022. In November 2023, the location reinstated the account of the beforehand banned far-right activist and convicted legal, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, referred to as Tommy Robinson.
Then this week, Mr Musk responded to a put up from Yaxley-Lennon with two exclamation marks – in different phrases, stirring the pot.
Yaxley-Lennon had taken purpose at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his phrases after riots broke out following the homicide of three women in Southport. Yaxley-Lennon had accused the Prime Minister of labelling everybody upset concerning the murders as “thugs”. Mr Starmer’s speech had particularly referred to thugs as being these throwing bricks at law enforcement officials.
Yaxley-Lennon had additionally been crucial of the prime minister’s feedback about rising policing powers in response to the riots.
Mr Musk then later went on to recommend, in response to a video of rioting, that “civil battle is inevitable”. The prime minister’s spokesperson mentioned there was “no justification” for this declare.
Mr Musk doubled down once more – responding to the prime minister’s put up about assaults on Muslim communities by asking: “Should not you be involved about assaults on *all* communities?” And Mr Musk repeated the comment in a tweet of his personal, making allegations about violence from anti-racist and Muslim counter-protesters and accusing the police of a “one-sided” method.
It’s not as if X didn’t already comprise loads of content material round occasions in Southport earlier than Mr Musk’s interventions.
False claims that the individual chargeable for the killings in Southport was a Muslim refugee who arrived within the UK by boat in 2023 unfold like wildfire throughout X. They then spilled out on to different social media platforms and have been additionally posted on some Telegram channels – however a lot of essentially the most frenzied, amplified dialog was occurring on X.
The claims have been shared by pseudo-news accounts, profiles with a observe file of selling evidence-free conspiracy theories about every little thing from the pandemic and vaccines to wars – after which additionally by outstanding political commentators, politicians and influencers.
The profiles reaching essentially the most customers with these concepts had typically bought blue ticks that means their posts have been granted extra prominence on the platform.
Mr Musk, together with his personal blue tick and 193 million followers, has been interacting with some profiles sharing divisive content material and, in doing so, amplifying their message.
‘Radicalising himself’
There’s not presently a definitive reply as to what’s driving Mr Musk.
His presence as an energetic participant on his personal platform is actually conserving X talked about.
For all of the furore round his possession of X, final month the location mentioned it had 251 million world each day energetic customers within the second quarter of this yr, a rise of 1.6% from the identical interval of the earlier yr. In fact, this may be attributed to a variety of things – like what’s occurring on this planet. Whereas these figures represented a drop in progress, X continues to be a focus for digital conversations.
For all of the warnings that X would stop to exist underneath Elon Musk, quite a lot of completely different customers are persevering with to put up – together with many world leaders and outstanding political figures of all stripes.
It might even have one thing to do with Mr Musk’s views on threats of regulation – and within the UK particularly, the On-line Security Act, which was handed underneath the earlier authorities.
When this comes into full impact in 2025 it should require social media companies to take away unlawful content material, together with the place it’s “racially or religiously aggravated”. Mr Musk has repeatedly been vocal about his considerations that makes an attempt by governments to manage social media websites – like his personal – threat infringing freedom of speech.
Others marvel if he has merely spent an excessive amount of time on X. Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology on the College of Cambridge, has instructed that Mr Musk could also be “radicalising himself on his personal platform”.
In fact, the explanations for the protests and riots within the UK clearly lengthen far past social media.
It’s additionally the case that the Twitter of previous, the pre-Musk model, was removed from good.
There have been accusations of bias and recommendations its moderation insurance policies curbed freedom of expression for specific sorts of accounts. It additionally had trolls aplenty. However on paper, its insurance policies and method have been completely different – and, merely from analysing my very own feed earlier than and after the takeover, it was completely different.
Straight after the takeover, Mr Musk said the significance of equity to all sides – together with when it comes to what then-Twitter allowed to be shared on the location. He has made clear that freedom of expression is a central precedence at X – and as a non-public citizen, like several consumer, he’s entitled to share his opinion about politics or different matters.
It’s a current growth on Mr Musk’s half, although, to resolve so clearly to again particular political positions and candidates.
Take, for instance, the best way he endorsed Donald Trump after the assassination try, or the content material he shares that’s crucial of Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris. He’s shared some posts which are very hostile to some liberal views.
Now he has determined to voice opinions on a few of the most delicate points in British life, too.
What has advanced is a posh dynamic. As proprietor, Elon Musk oversees selections made by X which have affected what content material is permitted and actively advisable to customers. On the similar time, his account is considered the world’s most adopted and itself performs a big function in shaping the tone of a few of X’s most promoted and contentious content material.
I’ve repeatedly approached the social media firm in relation to the rioting within the UK, together with a number of interview requests for Mr Musk. I even posted on X asking him. He has not responded to any of my interview requests.
Mr Musk has highlighted his considerations that the media doesn’t maintain energy to account any extra. And but more often than not, after I wish to ask questions of each him and of X – there isn’t any response from the social media firm. X continues to share in its publicly accessible tips that its precedence is defending and defending the consumer’s voice.
So as an alternative, I’ve to settle with imagining what I’d say to him if he lastly did agree to talk.
I believe one of many first issues I’d ask could be: “What’s your recreation plan?”
It’s a query solely he can reply.
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