Elon Musk's controversial appearance at Donald Trump's inauguration has triggered a massive backlash on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Users are accusing Musk of endorsing Nazi imagery and fueling a climate of intolerance, leading to a wave of departures and calls for boycotts.
A significant backlash has erupted on the social media platform X following Elon Musk 's appearance at Donald Trump 's inauguration on January 20. As Trump began his term as the 47th US President, the spotlight shifted towards Musk, the head of the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has faced criticism for displaying two gestures during the event, which some users have interpreted as Sieg Heil salutes, a gesture with strong ties to Nazi Germany.
Musk's acquisition of Twitter in April 2022 had already led to a climate of discontent among users. After making sweeping changes such as removing the 'blue tick' feature and introducing a paid subscription model at approximately $100 (£81) per year, the platform saw a decline in its user base. A wave of departing users have migrated to the rival platform BlueSky, which closely resembles X's core functionality. This recent controversy may mark a turning point for users who are disillusioned with Musk's vision for X. While some remain, attracted by promises of content monetization, others are severing ties.One user departing the platform stated, 'I'm leaving Twitter as long as it's under the ownership of Elon Musk. I refuse to participate in the operation and success of this app... You can find me on BlueSky still if you want.' Another user uploaded a video of Musk's address and wrote, 'And with that, I'm leaving Twitter. I will be locking this and all other accounts by midnight tonight. I will still be streaming, but I will just be in other places, bye for now!' A third user declared, 'Okay well that's the final straw for me. I'm leaving Twitter.' A fourth person added, 'Elon Musk is a joke. Leaving Twitter forever, bye.' Northern Monk, a renowned British brewery, shared their unease with a public announcement, writing, 'As a company, we are concerned by some of the discourse on this platform (X). Unity and inclusivity are central to our mission and our values, so we will no longer be using X following this post.' Amid the departures, some voices praise Musk's approach as ingenious for increasing activity on X. One commenter speculated, 'Musk may have done it just to pump X traffic.' This viewpoint was echoed by someone who said, 'Musk is a genius, it's increased traffic to X and got people talking about it.' Conversely, a Musk supporter labeled those exiting as 'hypocrites,' arguing, 'So to sum up, people are brandishing moral virtue by leaving Twitter because they claim Musk is racist and a supporter of Trump, only to stay on Facebook, where Zuckerberg is now a supporter of Trump, or move to BlueSky, which has had controversy too. Performative hypocrisy at its finest.' Responding to the escalating backlash, Musk took to his platform to defend his stance, stating, 'Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired.'
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