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Uzone.id – Elon Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly known as Twitter) for a staggering $44 billion in 2022 marked a turning point for the platform, leading to significant changes in its policies and overall direction.
Since Musk took the helm, the platform has undergone a series of transformations, ranging from shifts in content moderation to the introduction of new features aimed at enhancing user engagement.
As we explore the present state of X under Musk’s ownership, we can gain insights into how these changes have affected both users and the broader social media landscape.
It is known that Musk made several significant changes under the pretext of freedom of speech. However, this step is predicted to open the door to the spread of misinformation and hatred.
When he had just become the boss of X, Musk shocked netizens with his statement about freedom of speech and content moderation. This certainly created a very complex dynamic.
“Twitter’s new policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach,” Musk explained in a tweet on his X account with the username @elonmusk. This means that netizens can say whatever they want, but the content cannot be monetized or promoted.
Head of Technology at RSF Media, Vincent Berthier, revealed that X is currently a platform for spreading disinformation. The impact of the decisions of its new CEO, reliable news, and information is now weakening the platform.
“Elon Musk has completed his transformation from a defender of free speech to a fighter for disinformation. Most of his decisions have had the effect of strengthening the producers of disinformation and weakening access to reliable news and information on his platform,” said Berthier.
Berthier also added that journalists and news media can no longer exist on the microblogging service because the social media platform has become a center of disinformation and is not safe for journalists to use.
“With insults directed personally at professional news media and the new anti-information direction that X has taken under his leadership, journalists and news media are no longer welcome there. Twitter used to be an unsafe information network, but X has become a bastion of disinformation,” he added.
In addition to its controversy with journalists, the X platform also has other truces from its users, such as the “pay for the blue tick” feature. The blue tick, which was originally given to verify famous accounts or large organizations, is now offered as a paid feature. The new X feature under Elon Musk’s ownership also adds to the new controversy.
FYI, the “pay for blue tick” feature on this platform is charged at IDR 125,000 per month, with several exclusive features that can be enjoyed, such as fewer ads, search priority, editing tweets, tweet limits of up to 4,000 characters, and being able to upload videos up to 2GB.
Based on research conducted by NewsGuard, accounts called “verified” on the platform have generated 74 percent of false or unsubstantiated claims on the platform, especially about the Israel-Hamas war, claims that have been viewed 100 million times.
On the other hand, according to Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm in San Francisco, the number of X users is currently down 18 percent from the previous year. Until now, users based in the United States have been steadily decreasing every month since November 2022.
Not only in the United States, daily active users worldwide on the platform fell to 174 million in February this year, and down 15 percent from the previous year.
However, this was denied by the company. X said in a post that the worldwide number is higher than Sensor Tower data shows, with 250 million people using X every day globally.
In Indonesia itself, the X platform is still widely loved by Indonesian netizens. X users in Indonesia reached 24.85 million people in April 2024. With this number, Indonesia is ranked fourth with the largest number of users in the world, almost rivaling India which reached 25.45 million people.
As one of the most influential social media platforms. X continues to undergo significant transformation. Under the ownership of Elon Musk, X remains steadfast in its support for freedom of speech, despite opposition from some parties.
(Nurul Arifah)
