European Parliament member Jonas Sjöstedt (V) is closing his X account with over 135,600 followers as a protest against owner Elon Musk. He believes the platform has become increasingly right-wing extreme and permits harmful content. Sjöstedt calls on the EU to investigate X and Meta for their role in polarization.
Jonas Sjöstedt, the Left Party's European Parliament member, has used X since 2011 to build a following of over 135,600 people. Now he chooses to leave the platform in a gradually growing protest against its development under Elon Musk's leadership.
Sjöstedt describes how X was previously an open arena with a good atmosphere, humor, and mutual help on everything from movie tips to cooking. But gradually, hate and supporters of the Sweden Democrats have taken over, making reasonable debates nearly impossible. "Elon Musk has let the algorithms be steered to favor the extreme right. He is himself a stated supporter of AfD in Germany, for example," says Sjöstedt.
The decisive factor was when X allowed AI-generated image manipulations, including sexualized images of minors. "It cannot be justified to stay on such a platform," he states. Sjöstedt also criticizes Musk's growing influence: "Elon Musk is a person who has far too much power in the form of his wealth. He has also radicalized and become increasingly conspiratorial and right-wing extreme in his views."
Previously, X has been a valuable tool for politicians to share opinions on various issues. Sjöstedt believes that if more journalists leave, politicians will follow. "Then I think soon there won't be many left," he says. He wants the EU to investigate both X and Meta to clarify if they have benefited extreme right-wing parties and fueled polarization in society.
