Tech billionaire Musk has turned his social media platform into a “cesspit”. This doesn't seem to deter many serious politicians.Image: trapezoid
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The former Twitter is facing its biggest user exodus since Elon Musk took over. The Swiss government remains loyal to the platform for now but is monitoring developments closely.
The hashtag #eXit touches on a core issue that concerns many people in Europe and North America.
They want to stay away from X. Stay away from the messaging platform that tech billionaire Elon Musk has turned into a playground for extremists.
As world-famous horror writer Stephen King said, he wanted to leave “an atmosphere that was too toxic” behind as quickly as possible.
Many other characters have joined him. Others want to endure it. Like much of the Swiss government.
Watson began looking for clues.
What is the Federal Council doing?
Watson has asked the Federal Prime Minister whether state governments are also planning to “exit”. Urs Bruderer, deputy director of communications, said no.
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Bruderer emphasized that the federal government is paying close attention to developments in social media. The company's own experts observe whether platform operators change their terms of use and whether users' behavior changes. The federal government also reserves the right to adjust social media strategies if necessary.
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The Swiss Government’s X-Files
What does the Swiss government think of Elon Musk's controversial social media platform X? In this series of photos you will find out how many followers the Federal Councilor and his department have.
Source: keystone/Peter Klaunzer
Where to escape?
The Federal Chancellery currently appears to have no plans to switch to Twitter alternative Bluesky, which has seen a significant increase in user numbers recently. The Deputy Director of Communications explained:
“To date, there is no equivalent replacement for
According to this: A member of the state government has completed her personal “exit.” Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (SP) tweeted on October 31:
«X has fundamentally changed. This platform did not reflect the debate culture I wanted to be a part of. So I decided to leave her. I invite my fans to join me on Instagram! “
As a reminder: In 2023, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Group launched the messaging service Threads to drive away X users. Thanks to its connection to the social media platform Instagram, Threads was able to acquire a large number of new users in just one year. However, success should be viewed with caution. “Tages-Anzeiger” technology reporter Matthias Schüssler said:
«Comparison of Threads [Instagram] Bluesky shows that it's not the sheer number of users that matters, but the mix of them: Although Threads is more than ten times larger, it primarily provides entertainment in the form of memes. Dedicated discussions have been found primarily on Bluesky. “
But “a broad range of themes still shows up” on X. Many early adopters haven’t turned away yet.
Stay and fight?
The departure of Federal Councilor Baume-Schneider from X has triggered a fundamental debate. Some users believe that such a platform should not allow extremists to surrender without a fight. Instead, it is important to counter this with good arguments. Incidentally, this position is also held by Robert Habeck, the German Economy Minister and Green Party candidate for Chancellor.
this Mike Kuketz, IT security researcher and data protection officer, Germany In his personal blog, he presents an argument for why this attitude is useless and, on the contrary, counterproductive.
Is there any point in staying on X to counter those misanthropic views?
It's like sitting in a right-wing extremist party's beer tent hoping to change their beliefs through discussion – a futile effort that would rather strengthen their stage than bring about real change.
Should you stay in X to combat the misanthropic views there?
It’s like standing in the middle of a marketplace filled with hate preachers and believing you can change the atmosphere with your thoughtful words—you end up just unknowingly providing context for their creations. Instead of bringing about change, you strengthen the platform and attract more attention to it, which uses it exclusively for its own purposes. “
Should you stay in X to counteract the disinformation there?
It's like trying to put out a fire with a drop of water while pouring gasoline around it – you'll just end up drawing more attention to the arsonist. Such platforms thrive on the spread of misinformation, and any attempts to correct mistakes are baked into their mechanisms, helping to expand their reach and relevance. Instead of fighting disinformation, you help it gain more visibility. “
Shouldn't you stay on X and take action against the “hate speech” there?
It's like walking into a room full of angry people and trying to bring peace with calm words – you end up just becoming part of the conflict without changing anything. Instead of calming emotions, you strengthened and gave it more attention, which it uses to further spread hatred and hateful speech.
Mike Cookz points out that you can use the comparisons he makes in conversations, discussions, and even on social media. This is to make it clear to third parties why it is important to stay away from platforms like X.
Why might it make sense not to delete the X account?
Journalist and TV presenter popular in his native Austria Armin Wolf Describes the longing mood of many old X users:
“It's been a good feeling being on Twitter for a long time, but in the last few years, because you just call yourself
Those: arminwolf.at
However, given the adversity many users experience on a daily basis, we must also ask why they endure it for so long.
Armin Wolf said again:
«Twitter became and it was all without consequences. Report account to
Armin Wolf said he has not completely deleted his X account. This is because, as a daily reporter, he unfortunately still needs a platform to work from. But he will “no longer say anything there, no longer read comments, and no longer react.”
Many journalists may follow suit and continue to passively use X for research. Indeed, important actors and institutions continue to be active there and use social media platforms for external communication.
For security reasons, it makes perfect sense not to deactivate your own X account, especially for well-known people. This prevents all content from being irrevocably deleted (without re-registration) after 30 days and the username (“Username”) falling into the wrong hands.
source
The most important terms about Mastodon and Fediverse
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The most important terms about Mastodon and Fediverse
Forget Twitter! These terms about European social media alternative Mastodon aren't just making Elon Musk sweat…
Source: Keystone/Gregory Bull
What is a thread?
Video: Watson
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