Simran Joshi
Elon Musk’s acquisition of X, formerly Twitter, for $44 billion in 2022 has sparked ongoing debates about the influence of tech billionaires on social media platforms.
Since taking control, Musk has made headlines with his controversial use of the platform, particularly during the recent US presidential election. His endorsement of former President Donald Trump, alongside leveraging his massive following of nearly 205 million users, raised concerns about the power of social media in shaping public opinion and swaying political outcomes.
The Guardian bids farewell to X over toxic content
The Guardian on Wednesday announced it was quitting Elon Musk’s social media platform X in protest over what it describes as a toxic environment full of harmful content.
The newspaper said in a statement, “We believe the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the drawbacks,” the resource could better be “used to promote our journalism elsewhere.” This decision comes amid increased concern which has been “growing over often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.”
Despite quitting X, The Guardian news outlet promised its readers that they were still allowed to share articles from the news outlet, and reporters would continue using the application for work. The statement clarified, “This is something we have been considering for a while,” mentioning the rising issues with the platform and its related harmful content.
How did the US Presidential Election affect The Guardian’s decision?
This was reinforced by the impact of the US presidential election campaign upon the toxic atmosphere on X.
The newspaper declared, “The US presidential election campaign only served to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.” This direct reference confirmed the growing influence of the platform on political narratives–an influence that pushed The Guardian to look for alternatives in promoting its journalism.
The paper noted, stepping back from X, that social media is an important channel, but it’s still not letting go: “Social media can be an important tool for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences but, at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.” The shift is generally one in focus: more effective means of reaching its audience.
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