Two years after buying Twitter, now renamed X, Elon Musk still presents it as a bastion of free speech. But in 2024, the platform has undergone a marked evolution, moving from an open digital agora to a polarized space where opinions and posts are increasingly controversial.
This is what emerges from an article published Thursday on the BBC website, signed by Marianna Spring, correspondent in charge of social media investigations. Find the full article below.
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Since he acquired the social network two years ago, billionaire Elon Musk has called Twitter a bastion of free speech. But over the course of 2024, X, as it is now known, has gone from a public square to a polarized center where opinions and posts seem even more controversial.
Some profiles that have shared misleading opinions on politics and current events, some of which have been accused of inciting hate, have recently gained prominence.
All this is significant because X may not have as many users as other major social networks, but it appears to be having a significant impact on political discussions. Not only is it a place where some prominent politicians, governments and police forces share statements and views, but now its owner, Mr Musk, has tied himself directly to Donald Trump, a relationship that could redefine how the bosses of other social media giants deal with the next US President.
So what’s behind this new wave of change? Has there been a shift in the demographics of people using X over the past year, or could it be the result of deliberate decisions made by those in charge?
The Rise of Twitter “Media”
Two months ago, Inevitable West didn’t exist on X. Today, the profile, which bills itself as a “Defender of Western Values and Culture,” has amassed 131,600 followers (and is growing rapidly). It’s racking up about 30 million views per day across its posts, according to its creator. Musk has even responded to Inevitable West’s posts on X.
Their recent posts, which often feature news alert-style captions, include a doctored video of Trump telling the British prime minister that he’s going to “invade your country and make Britain great again.”
There have also been several posts in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, as well as debunked allegations about farmers’ protests in the U.K. and a stabbing attack in Southport that killed three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.
Inevitable West denies accusations of spreading disinformation and inciting violence or abuse. “The purpose of my account X is to be the voice of the silent majority in the Western world,” its creator told me. They declined to share their identities with me when we corresponded, but claim to be “Generation Z” and “not Russian.”
“Uncensored information and opinions will inevitably lead the entire United States, the West, and Europe to move further to the right, as evidenced by the election of Donald Trump and the rise of the far right in Europe,” they said. “On a global scale, this would mean that corrupt politicians and leaders would be exposed.”
They appear to view the rise of their account as the “death” of what they call the “MSM,” or “Mainstream” media. This is perhaps no surprise given that after the US election, Mr Musk himself told X users: “You are now the media”.
From blue check marks to likes: the changes at X
When Mr Musk acquired Twitter, he stressed the need to house all political views and to combat censorship by social media companies and governments.
The changes – including mass layoffs and changes to moderation policies on issues such as political misinformation – began immediately.
Various changes were also made to the nature of the feeds, including the creation of two separate sections: “Following”, which shows the accounts you follow, and “For You”, which is curated by algorithm, like on TikTok.
However, in 2024, a new wave of changes appears to have transformed it even more. The blocking feature has been changed, meaning that if you block an account, you will not be protected from that profile seeing what you post. Likes, however,Two years after buying Twitter, now renamed X, Elon Musk still presents it as a bastion of free speech. But in 2024, the platform has undergone a marked evolution, moving from an open digital agora to a polarized space where opinions and posts are increasingly controversial.
This is what emerges from an article published Thursday on the BBC website, signed by Marianna Spring, correspondent in charge of social media investigations. Find the full article below.
Advertisement
Since he acquired the social network two years ago, billionaire Elon Musk has called Twitter a bastion of free speech. But over the course of 2024, X, as it is now known, has gone from a public square to a polarized center where opinions and posts seem even more controversial.
Some profiles that have shared misleading opinions on politics and current events, some of which have been accused of inciting hate, have recently gained prominence.
All this is significant because X may not have as many users as other major social networks, but it appears to be having a significant impact on political discussions. Not only is it a place where some prominent politicians, governments and police forces share statements and views, but now its owner, Mr Musk, has tied himself directly to Donald Trump, a relationship that could redefine how the bosses of other social media giants deal with the next US President.
So what’s behind this new wave of change? Has there been a shift in the demographics of people using X over the past year, or could it be the result of deliberate decisions made by those in charge?
The Rise of Twitter “Media”
Two months ago, Inevitable West didn’t exist on X. Today, the profile, which bills itself as a “Defender of Western Values and Culture,” has amassed 131,600 followers (and is growing rapidly). It’s racking up about 30 million views per day across its posts, according to its creator. Musk has even responded to Inevitable West’s posts on X.
Their recent posts, which often feature news alert-style captions, include a doctored video of Trump telling the British prime minister that he’s going to “invade your country and make Britain great again.”
There have also been several posts in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, as well as debunked allegations about farmers’ protests in the U.K. and a stabbing attack in Southport that killed three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.
Inevitable West denies accusations of spreading disinformation and inciting violence or abuse. “The purpose of my account X is to be the voice of the silent majority in the Western world,” its creator told me. They declined to share their identities with me when we corresponded, but claim to be “Generation Z” and “not Russian.”
“Uncensored information and opinions will inevitably lead the entire United States, the West, and Europe to move further to the right, as evidenced by the election of Donald Trump and the rise of the far right in Europe,” they said. “On a global scale, this would mean that corrupt politicians and leaders would be exposed.”
They appear to view the rise of their account as the “death” of what they call the “MSM,” or “Mainstream” media. This is perhaps no surprise given that after the US election, Mr Musk himself told X users: “You are now the media”.
From blue check marks to likes: the changes at X
When Mr Musk acquired Twitter, he stressed the need to house all political views and to combat censorship by social media companies and governments.
The changes – including mass layoffs and changes to moderation policies on issues such as political misinformation – began immediately.
Various changes were also made to the nature of the feeds, including the creation of two separate sections: “Following”, which shows the accounts you follow, and “For You”, which is curated by algorithm, like on TikTok.
However, in 2024, a new wave of changes appears to have transformed it even more. The blocking feature has been changed, meaning that if you block an account, you will not be protected from that profile seeing what you post. Likes, however,to them, have become private.
The site still features crowdsourced community ratings, used to fact-check or debunk what posts say — and users can pay for blue checkmarks, which were previously given away for free as a sign that someone was who they said they were.
What to expect from Elon Musk in 2025
Now, you have to pay for an X Premium subscription to receive a checkmark. (There are three tiers of subscription — in the UK, Premium currently costs around £10 a month.)
Premium profiles get more privileges and exposure, and can earn money from the engagement they get from other checked profiles. Since October, X has changed its rules so that instead of basing individual accounts’ revenue on ads, it now takes into account likes, shares, and comments from other premium accounts.
Sure, other social media sites allow users to earn money from posts and allow them to share sponsored content — which is not uncommon — but most major sites have rules that allow them to demonetize or suspend profiles that post misinformation.
X doesn’t have rules to demonetize accounts that post such messages, but it does allow users to add community notes to misleading or false tweets. It also doesn’t allow “misleading media,” such as manipulated or synthetic videos that “may cause widespread confusion about public issues, impact public safety, or cause serious harm.”
According to Inevitable West, X can now become a job. They told me that by posting about seven times a day, they could make a minimum of “$2,500 per month.”
They say they know of another account that generates “$25,000” per month. This account reportedly has 500,000 followers and posts “about 30” times per day.
Has the algorithm changed?
Changes can sometimes occur when a website changes its algorithms (or recommendation systems) in some way, such as to optimize and favor certain posts. It’s unclear whether that’s the case here or not.
Certainly, I’ve noticed a difference in the variety of articles recommended on the “For You” feed compared to a year ago.
This is something I have been exploring through an “Undercover Voter Project,” in which I created and managed social media accounts belonging to over 20 fictional characters, based in the United States and the United Kingdom, who reflect views from across the political spectrum.
These characters have profiles on major sites, including X, which allows me to interrogate the various accounts recommended on social media. The accounts are private and do not message real people or have friends.
Regardless of the different political views expressed on their accounts, I have observed that over the last six months of this year, their feeds have become dominated by divisive posts and tend to feature more pro-Trump posts or posts in opposition to politicians and people around the world who do not appear to be aligned with the US president-elect.
However, this all seems to be a consequence of the environment and various changes to the site as a whole, rather than a simple tweak to the algorithm.
Andrew Kaung, who was previously a user safety analyst at TikTok and also worked at Meta, has spent years observing how these recommendation systems can be updated and changed. “What we’ve seen on X is not just about the algorithms changing, it’s also about the lack of safety mechanisms in the name of free speech,” he says.
Nina Jankowicz is the former executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board of the United States, a body created in 2022 to advise the Department of Homeland Security on issues like Russian disinformation, and which was later disbanded after a public backlash over concerns like free speech and transparency. She argues that X’s algorithms “now favor divisive and misleading rhetoric” and suggests that users who post less controversial content have seen a reduction in views.
“The consequence is that the platform that presents itself as a public square is an extraordinarily artificial environment, a veritable black mirror of the most disturbing aspects of human nature.”
The unwitting influencers
I sent messages todozens of other big accounts, who describe the growing influence they’re able to have on the site, often in unexpected ways.
“I never really intended to become an influencer,” admits a profile named Andi, who says he lives in New York. “But I figure since I have this platform, I should try to use it to advance my own causes.”
He describes how he shared a squirrel meme—after learning that a squirrel had been euthanized over fears it had rabies—that now has 45 million views. Andi compares his reach to that of popular podcaster Joe Rogan, who has 14.5 million subscribers on X.
“But I’m not Joe Rogan, so it’s really special that something I post can get nearly that many views.” »
Andi and other X accounts I’ve corresponded with believe that the changes to X are a good thing, because they now have a reach they never could have anticipated.
When asked about this, Inevitable West told me that they would say the same about other religions. They also said that they would never delete their own posts, even if they were proven false.
Meanwhile, their content is seen on feeds around the world.
Allegations of bias in moderation methods have long been leveled against Twitter, both before and since Mr. Musk acquired the company, as well as questions about whether the site previously restricted free speech.
I spoke to Twitter insiders about it for a Panorama investigation that aired in 2023, and they told me that they believed the company would struggle to protect users from trolling, state-sponsored disinformation, and child sexual exploitation, blaming it on the massive layoffs, among other things.
At the time, X did not respond to the points raised. Mr. Musk later tweeted a BBC article about the Panorama episode with the caption: “Sorry for turning Twitter from a troll haven to a place where there are… trolls.” He also said: “Trolls are kind of funny.”
Separately, Mr. Musk said he had “no choice” but to cut the company’s workforce because of the financial losses.
Lisa Jennings Young, a former content design manager at X who worked there until 2022, says, “I feel like we’re all living a big social experiment [on humanity].”
She doesn’t have a specific goal, she says. She doesn’t think it’s a controlled social science experiment, but one that we’re all participating in. No one really knows what the end result might be, she says.
Some X users told me they’ve recently decided to migrate to other social media platforms, including Bluesky, which started in 2019 as an experimental “decentralized” social media site created by former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It now has more than 20 million users.
It’s hard to tell exactly how many actual users have chosen to leave X — or even if the number of users has increased.
Elon Musk and X did not respond to the points raised in this article, or to requests for an interview.
X says its priority is to protect and defend users’ voices and has hate guidelines, which state that users “may not target others with abuse or harassment or encourage others to do so.”
A spokesperson for X previously told the BBC: “X has a range of policies and features in place to protect conversations around the election. We will label content that violates our policy on synthetic and manipulated media, and remove accounts involved in platform manipulation or other serious violations of our rules.”
The site also told the European Commission in November: “[X] strives to be the public square of the internet by promoting and protecting freedom of expression.” »
Social media meets political influence
Since the 2024 US presidential election, X has cemented its place as the place to go for political news about the new Trump administration.
Elon Musk backed Trump’s candidacy as early as July. He has now been offered a government job, leading a new advisory team called the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
Sam Freeman, a former Meta employee who now works as a trust and safety expert for a company called Cinder, believes this will have a broader impact on other social media executives as well. He predicts they will “have tot have a more personal relationship with the new administration,” especially if they feel increasing pressure over online regulation and safety.
Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook (now Meta) and has since acquired Instagram, recently had dinner with Trump at his home in Mar-a-Lago.
The president-elect has previously targeted Mr. Zuckerberg on several occasions, accusing his website and others of bias. “Facebook, Google, and Twitter, not to mention the corrupt media, are so on the side of the radical left Democrats,” Trump wrote.
Could the dinner be a sign of a softening of relations between the two men? It certainly suggests that Mr. Zuckerberg sees some closeness with Trump as being in his best interest.
So does TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who reportedly also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago as the social media company fights plans by U.S. authorities to ban the app.
The US government has accused TikTok’s parent company ByteDance of having ties to the Chinese state. TikTok and ByteDance have denied the allegations. The Supreme Court is set to hear TikTok’s legal arguments in January.
In the UK, the Online Safety Act is coming into force soon, requiring companies to sign up to Ofcom to crack down on illegal content and posts that are harmful to children. In Australia, politicians have gone further and approved a plan to ban children under 16 from using social media.
But ultimately, given the number of social media giants based in the US, it’s the approach of the US government and president that could have the biggest impact.
“I see Trump’s feelings about a platform dictating how his administration views them,” Freeman says.
The question is what Trump really thinks about this — and whether he will hold these sites to account in a different way in the future, or not at all.
The consequences, no matter how this situation turns out, will undoubtedly be significant.
