X is a hell site run by Elon Musk that helped elect Donald Trump, no wonder people are leaving

It may be time to go and leave the social media platform owned by X behind - social media should be fun

Donald Trump will be the US president, but at what cost? Well, from a personal level, I can say around 500 X followers, which is the number of people who have unfollowed me since his seismic victory.

You could reasonably argue this is for my poor takes, insipid content and whichever bias you’ve proscribed without thought. But I think it’s rather more they are simply quitting the hellscape Elon Musk has created. People are leaving X, formerly known as Twitter in better days, in droves, driven out in protest at what it’s become.

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Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, owns X. Picture: Getty ImagesElon Musk, the richest man in the world, owns X. Picture: Getty Images
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, owns X. Picture: Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

It used to be glorious. X gave us live news, verified reporting and, most importantly, memes. It was a space abundant in information and warmth, fantastic jokes and news before you could get it anywhere else. I’ve made friends from X, back when it was known as Twitter. Built contacts on X. Even grew my contacts through it.

But now, since billionaire Musk took over the platform, it has largely become unusable. Racism is rife and goes unchecked under the defence of free speech. It is perfectly normal to see a threat or slur, report it and be told the post has not broken the rules.

The option to pay for a blue tick has not given a platform to those in need, instead only amplifying the worst of society. Look under any post by a politician, and the blue tick responses are first, and full of such hate and vitriol it almost doesn’t matter that most of them aren’t real. Because a lot of them aren’t.

While some journalists pay for a tick, in a bid for relevancy, many of those now verified are bots. Blue ticks are no longer a way of verifying the source, and there remains a risk of being exposed to porn or Kremlin misinformation.

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X was a crucial battleground in the US election and, having helped Mr Trump into office, Musk has now followed him into government. In short, the social media platform is an arm of the state.

So people are fleeing, whether it’s The Guardian Newspaper, who will no longer post on X, or Clifton Suspension Bridge, which also quit in solidarity. This desperation, this anguish has led to the resurgence of Bluesky, an alternative social media platform that reminds me of the good ol’ days.

You open it and there’s people posting news, or about their interests. If you look at the replies, it’s discussion, encouragement or questions. To be blunt, it’s human.

It’s also incredibly accessible. Want to follow political journalists? Someone has made a starter pack with most of them in. Looking to read more by women of colour? There’s a pack for that as well. It’s early days, but Bluesky seems to be a social media site where you can seek out information, rather than conflict.

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It’s a dreadful shame it’s come to this, and there is certainly an argument to stay on X. The platform is still where most people are, but even if you ignore the fact it’s helped elect Trump, a convicted felon, it’s also just bloody horrible to use. Social media should be fun and it hasn’t been for a long time.

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