{"id":1338,"date":"2024-08-11T05:21:05","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T05:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/?p=1338"},"modified":"2024-08-11T05:21:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T05:21:05","slug":"uk-dysfunction-whats-elon-musks-recreation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/uk-dysfunction-whats-elon-musks-recreation\/","title":{"rendered":"UK dysfunction: What&#8217;s Elon Musk&#8217;s recreation?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 EXUng\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-814e9212-1 fcEyBx\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-814e9212-0 cCvKR hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/0aa6\/live\/e9d29b60-54a7-11ef-8f0f-0577398c3339.png.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"BBC Montage showing the X logo, a hooded man preparing to throw a lump of concrete, a firefighter and flames\" class=\"sc-814e9212-0 hIXOPW\"\/><span class=\"sc-814e9212-2 jesyMJ\">Daily News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\"><b id=\"x-can-feel-like-two-parallel-universes-at-times.\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kVRnKf\">X can really feel like two parallel universes at occasions.<!-- --><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">There\u2019s the model the place the president of the United States chooses the platform to announce he gained\u2019t be operating for re-election. That\u2019s the one the place the worldwide authority on a specific topic makes use of X to supply their professional tackle unfolding occasions.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">And then there\u2019s the model the place false claims, hate and conspiracy theories, together with many posts regarding the latest riots and protests throughout the UK, are really helpful to tens of millions who&#8217;ve made completely no try to hunt them out.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">At the centre of all of it is X\u2019s proprietor Elon Musk, one of many world\u2019s richest individuals. But this isn\u2019t only a story concerning the monetisation technique and algorithms employed by X below his tenure and the way they&#8217;re boosting divisive content material.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It is more and more additionally a narrative about how Mr Musk himself is selecting to wade in, overtly, to opine on unrest within the UK.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">And no one is sort of positive what his recreation plan is.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\">Stirring the pot<!-- --><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">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, often called Tommy Robinson.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Then this week, Mr Musk responded to a publish from Yaxley-Lennon with two exclamation marks &#8211; in different phrases, stirring the pot. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Yaxley-Lennon had taken goal at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his phrases after riots broke out following the homicide of three ladies in Southport. Yaxley-Lennon had accused the Prime Minister of labelling everybody upset concerning the murders as \u201cthugs\u201d. Mr Starmer\u2019s speech had particularly referred to thugs as being these throwing bricks at law enforcement officials.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Yaxley-Lennon had additionally been essential of the prime minister\u2019s feedback about rising policing powers in response to the riots.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Mr Musk then later went on to counsel, in response to a video of rioting, that \u201ccivil war is inevitable\u201d. The prime minister\u2019s spokesperson stated there was \u201cno justification\u201d for this declare.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Mr Musk doubled down once more &#8211; responding to the prime minister\u2019s publish about assaults on Muslim communities by asking: &#8220;Shouldn&#8217;t you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?\u201d And Mr Musk repeated the remark in a tweet of his own, making allegations about violence from anti-racist and Muslim counter-protesters and accusing the police of a \u201cone-sided\u201d approach.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It\u2019s not as if X didn\u2019t already contain plenty of content around events in Southport before Mr Musk\u2019s interventions.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">False claims that the person responsible for the killings in Southport was a Muslim refugee who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023 <!-- -->spread like wildfire across X<!-- -->. They then spilled out on to other social media platforms and were also posted on some Telegram channels &#8211; but much of the most frenzied, amplified conversation was happening on X.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The claims were shared by pseudo-news accounts, profiles with a track record of promoting evidence-free conspiracy theories about everything from the pandemic and vaccines to wars &#8211; and then also by prominent political commentators, politicians and influencers.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">The profiles reaching the most users with these ideas had often purchased blue ticks meaning their posts were granted more prominence on the platform.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Mr Musk, with his own blue tick and 193 million followers, has been interacting with some profiles sharing divisive content and, in doing so, amplifying their message.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 kRvAla\">&#8216;Radicalising himself&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">There\u2019s not currently a definitive answer as to what is driving Mr Musk.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">His presence as an active player on his own platform is certainly keeping X talked about. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">For all the furore around his ownership of X, last month the site said it had 251 million global daily active users in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 1.6% from the same period of the previous year. Of course, this can be attributed to a range of factors &#8211; like what\u2019s happening in the world. While these figures represented a drop in growth, X is still a focal point for digital conversations.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">For all the warnings that X would cease to exist under Elon Musk, a variety of different users are continuing to post &#8211; including many world leaders and prominent political figures of all stripes.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It may also have something to do with Mr Musk\u2019s views on threats of regulation &#8211; and in the UK specifically, the Online Safety Act, which was passed under the previous government. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">When this comes into full effect in 2025 it will require social media firms to remove illegal content, including where it is &#8220;racially or religiously aggravated&#8221;. Mr Musk has repeatedly been vocal about his concerns that attempts by governments to regulate social media sites &#8211; like his own &#8211; risk infringing freedom of speech.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Others wonder if he has simply spent too much time on X. Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge, has <!-- -->suggested<!-- --> that Mr Musk may be \u201cradicalising himself on his own platform\u201d.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Of course, the reasons for the protests and riots in the UK clearly extend far beyond social media.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It\u2019s also the case that the Twitter of old, the pre-Musk version, was far from perfect.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">There were accusations of bias and suggestions its moderation policies curbed freedom of expression for particular types of accounts. It also had trolls aplenty. But on paper, its policies and approach were different &#8211; and, simply from analysing my own feed before and after the takeover, it <!-- --><i id=\"was\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">was<!-- --><\/i> different.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Straight after the takeover, Mr Musk stated the importance of fairness to all sides &#8211; including in terms of what then-Twitter allowed to be shared on the site. He has made clear that freedom of expression is a central priority at X &#8211; and as a private citizen, like any user, he\u2019s entitled to share his opinion about politics or other topics.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It is a recent development on Mr Musk\u2019s part, though, to decide so clearly to back specific political positions and candidates. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Take, for example, the way he endorsed Donald Trump after the assassination attempt, or the content he shares that is critical of Trump\u2019s opponent Kamala Harris. He\u2019s shared some posts that are very hostile to some liberal views. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Now he has decided to voice opinions on some of the most sensitive issues in British life, too.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">What has evolved is a complex dynamic. As owner, Elon Musk oversees decisions made by X that have affected what content is permitted and actively recommended to users. At the same time, his account is thought to be the world\u2019s most followed and itself plays a significant role in shaping the tone of some of X\u2019s most promoted and contentious content.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">I\u2019ve repeatedly approached the social media company in relation to the rioting in the UK, including multiple interview requests for Mr Musk. I even posted on X asking him. He has not responded to any of my interview requests.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">Mr Musk has highlighted his concerns that the media doesn\u2019t hold power to account any more. And yet most of the time, when I want to ask questions of both him and of X &#8211; there is no response from the social media company. X continues to share in its publicly available guidelines that its priority is protecting and defending the user\u2019s voice.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">So instead, I have to settle with imagining what I\u2019d say to him if he finally did agree to speak.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">I think one of the first things I\u2019d ask would be: \u201cWhat\u2019s your game plan?\u201d <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\">It\u2019s a question only he can answer.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe\"><i id=\"bbc-indepth\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">Daily News InDepth<!-- --><\/i><i id=\"is-the-new-home-on-the-website-and-app-for-the-best-analysis-and-expertise-from-our-top-journalists.-under-a-distinctive-new-brand,-we\u2019ll-bring-you-fresh-perspectives-that-challenge-assumptions,-and-deep-reporting-on-the-biggest-issues-to-help-you-make-sense-of-a-complex-world.-and-we\u2019ll-be-showcasing-thought-provoking-content-from-across-bbc-sounds-and-iplayer-too.-we\u2019re-starting-small-but-thinking-big,-and-we-want-to-know-what-you-think---you-can-send-us-your-feedback-by-clicking-on-the-button-below.\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\"> is the brand new dwelling on the web site and app for the very best evaluation and experience from our high journalists. Under a particular new model, we\u2019ll deliver you recent views that problem assumptions, and deep reporting on the largest points that can assist you make sense of a fancy world. And we\u2019ll be showcasing thought-provoking content material from throughout Daily News Sounds and iPlayer too. We\u2019re beginning small however pondering massive, and we wish to know what you suppose &#8211; you&#8217;ll be able to ship us your suggestions by clicking on the button beneath.<!-- --><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cze5gd1jzkeo\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Daily News X can really feel like two parallel universes at occasions. There\u2019s the model the place the president of the United States chooses the platform to announce he gained\u2019t be operating for re-election. That\u2019s the one the place the worldwide authority on a specific topic makes use of X to supply their professional [&hellip;] <a class=\"g1-link g1-link-more\" href=\"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/uk-dysfunction-whats-elon-musks-recreation\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1340,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1338\/revisions\/1340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1338"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clickmen.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=1338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}