To think that if everyone who thinks Elon Musk is a menace boycotted X he would have less power

[Sunshineandoranges]

I think I am stating the obvious but someone will soon be explaining why my simple logic is flawed.

I left X and it was hard as it has the most up to date news but it was making me depressed.

so much for democracy

Stopped using it a few months ago but held onto it in case I need to contact companies as a consumer.

Yes it's really difficult if you have a large following but I'm finding people are definitely filtering over to BlueSky. Engagement is fantastic on there at the moment and it's pleasant to use.

Trump calls Tesla boycott 'illegal' Ha! Freedom of the consumer to choose what to buy is at the heart of capitalism, is it not??
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/trump-tesla-boycott-musk

I don't consider banning a social media platform to be undemocratic or a meaningful limitation of freedom of expression, particularly given the wide availability of social media platforms that are not controlled by a hostile foreign actor.

Given that X seems to now primarily exist as a means of undermining democracies with misinformation campaigns, I think it'd be far better for democracy to get rid of it.

There’s not much critical thinking on this thread seemingly full of people who’ve been told what to think and who to hate by the media.

Where’s your critical thinking ability? Anyone that wants to ban a whole platform is most likely to be a dangerous idiot. Thankfully that power is not in your hands.

Well half their membership has dropped. Everyone's over on bluesky now op.

In what possible way is he NOT a menace? Are you on drugs?

He’s worth £400bn odd, he now owns all US personal data, and seems to be the president’s right hand man.

Boycotting X won’t make a blind bit of difference.

What does that have to do with democracy?

This man is an idiot isn’t he.

”Illegal”.

Ha!

I think that on a regular basis about switching the internet off... {sighs wistfully}

Before Trump undid it, the US (which has a greater degree of free speech than the UK) banned TikTok for national security reasons, with a massive bipartisan majority in the House, and subsequent court approval (even against the backdrop of the First Amendment).

Realistically, that decision was only reversed due to Trump and Musk's personal interests in overturning it, and not for the good of the country (and, given Trump's blacklisting of the Associated Press and clamp-downs on protesting, plainly not out of some sort of ideological free-speech absolutionism).

Clearly, even among the greatest proponents of unlimited free speech, most of them (left or right), do not see an issue with banning platforms that are hostile to the national interest.

So, where's your critical thinking?

They use the words, but have little idea what they mean.

I should have left much earlier but finally deactivated my account on Nazi salute day. Switched seamlessly over to Bluesky and haven’t even thought about it since.

Twitter/X is surely now only populated by dickheads and those who are so detached from real life that the number of followers they have is the way they get their self-esteem (so they can't leave). I don't know anyone personally who is still using it.

He is a menace. He used some of his vast wealth to interfere in the election offering a £1m a day sweepstake in Georgia. He's been given power and access to the public's data the state holds. He has not be elected by the public.

I've done it. It's shit now he's ruined it, anyway.

What's x?

Formerly Twitter.

THIS is why I like X and why I won't be leaving. The mainstream media doesn't give attention to these 2 topics for example?

Without Twitter I would not be regularly updated of the pitiful sentences that are given out to offending keepers and purveyors of child sexual abuse across the UK.

I missed out a word. Thats child sex abuse IMAGES I meant to say. I'd like to see an inquiry (or something more useful that doesn't just give too much money to lawyers) into the effects of the sentencing guidelines for paedophilia being softened under Starmer when he was DPP.

Same. I don’t post any more, personal or business, and I don’t press the like or repost button either. And I block and report as a personal mission. But I do get breaking news there.

I stopped using X after the August 2024 riots and have no intention of returning.