How X Changed in 2024 — It’s Not Pretty
By Movieguide® Contributor
After Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, things stayed familiar for a little while, but now, X has become polarized with more hateful messages.
“For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally,” Musk previously posted on X.
But that’s not what’s happened.
“Over the course of 2024, X, as it is now called, has evolved from what felt like a communal town square into a polarised hub where views and posts seem even more controversial,” BBC reported Dec. 26. “Certain profiles that have shared misleading takes on politics and the news, some of which have been accused of triggering hate, have recently shot to prominence.”
“All of this matters because X might not have as many users as some other major social media sites, but it does seem to have a significant impact on political discussions,” BBC reported. “Not only is it a place where certain high-profile politicians, governments and police forces share statements and views — but now its owner Mr Musk has directly aligned himself with Donald Trump, a relationship that could redefine how the bosses of other social media giants deal with the next US President.”
In just two months, a profile called Inevitable West, a “defender of western values and culture,” gained 131,600 followers. It gets about 30 million views each day from all of its posts, which have even gained the attention of Musk.
“Their recent posts, which often feature news alert-style captions, include a faked video showing Trump telling the British Prime Minister he is going to ‘invade your country and make Britain Great Again,'” BBC said. “There have also been several posts in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, as well as some debunked claims about the farmer’s protests in the UK and a knife attack in Southport, in which three children were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.”
“The purpose of my X account is to be the voice for the silent majority of the Western world,” its creator told BBC. They refused to share their identity, but claimed to be “Gen Z” and “not Russian.” They deny that they’re spreading disinformation or encouraging violence.
“Uncensored information and opinions will inevitably lead [to] the US and entire West and Europe moving further right, [which is] proven by Donald Trump getting elected and surges in Europe’s far right,” they said. “Globally, it would mean corrupt politicians and leaders would get found out.”
This year, Musk has made several alterations to X. Likes have been made private, and the block function is less restrictive for the blockee. Those you block can still view your posts.
READ MORE: WILL X’S MOVE TO HIDE LIKES IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH?
“The site still features crowd-sourced community notes used to factcheck or rebuff what posts say — and users are able to pay for blue ticks, which were previously given free of charge as a sign authenticating that the person was who they said they were,” BBC reported. “Now, though, it is necessary to pay to subscribe to X Premium to receive a checkmark. (There are three tiers of subscription — in the UK, the Premium Tier currently costs around £10 a month).”
“Premium profiles are entitled to more privileges and prominence — and can make money from the engagement they get from other checkmarked profiles. From October, X changed its rules so that instead of basing revenue for individual accounts around ads, it now takes into account likes, shares and comments from other Premium accounts.”
Unlike other platforms, X doesn’t have rules that stop monetization or suspend profiles when they post misinformation. However, it doesn’t allow “misleading media” that “may result in widespread confusion on public issues, impact public safety or cause serious harm.”
“Earlier this month, an attack at a German market, which killed five people and injured more than 200, was widely debated on X. Much of the discussion centred around the suspect, a German resident originally from Saudi Arabia,” BBC said. “German prosecutors have said the investigation is ongoing, but suggested one potential motive for the attack ‘could have been disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany.’”
Though Inevitable West denies inciting violence, it commented, “Raid the mosques. Ban the Quran. Carry out mass deportations. Our patience has officially expired.” But according to the account, they believe they are “actually inciting safety.”
Jan Philipp Albrecht, president of Germany’s Heinrich Böll Foundation, says Musk himself spreads disinformation, which is rampant on the site.
“The European Commission has already opened an investigation into X under the DSA over toxic content on the platform,” DW News reported. “If the EU finds that X is not complying with its rules to fight illegal content and disinformation, or its transparency requirements, the company could face hefty fines of up to 6 percent of its global revenue.”
“The European Commission has to enforce the law with the utmost rigor against an actor like Elon Musk,” Albrecht said. “It’s not that this platform should disappear, and it’s not that Elon Musk shouldn’t be allowed to express his opinion — but he has to follow the rules like everyone else. And anyone who doesn’t play by the rules needs to be punished.”
READ MORE: ELON MUSK WARNED AFTER TECH CEO ARRESTED FOR REFUSING TO CENSOR USERS
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