jfid – X, a social media platform that was formerly known as Twitter, became the spotlight of the world public because it was seen as siding with Israel in the conflict with Palestine.
Since being acquired by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, in October 2023, X has undergone many changes that sparked controversy, one of which is the content monetization system that allegedly triggered the spread of false information and propaganda.
Some X users who are pro-Palestine claimed that they received payments from X for their posts that contained support for Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel in early November 2023.
These posts received a lot of interaction from other users, both those who agreed and those who opposed.
One of the accounts that claimed to receive $3,000 from X was @HitlerDidNothing, which spread anti-Semitic content and denied the Holocaust.
Not only that, Elon Musk also recommended two accounts that provided live coverage of the war in Gaza, namely @WarMonitors and @sentdefender.
However, both accounts often posted things that were wrong and unverified, even insulting Jews. Musk then deleted his recommendations and asked both accounts to use more accurate words, or he would withdraw his support.
These actions by Elon Musk and X caused anger and disappointment among users who are pro-Palestine, who felt that the social media platform was not neutral and unreliable.
They decided to boycott X, by deleting their accounts, stopping accessing the X site, or switching to other platforms that are more friendly to Palestine, such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.
One of the users who joined the boycott of X was Rizky, a student in Jakarta who was active in voicing support for Palestine. He said that he could no longer stand seeing X become a tool of propaganda for Israel and America, which covered up the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.
“I don’t trust X anymore. They just want to profit from the war, without caring about humanity. I’d better use Facebook or Instagram, which are more fair and informative,” he said.
The boycott of X was also supported by some figures and organizations that care about Palestine, such as human rights activist Amal Clooney, singer Rihanna, and the Indonesian Islamic Youth Movement (GPII).
They invited X users to show solidarity with Palestine and reject all forms of discrimination and violence perpetrated by Israel. They also demanded Elon Musk and X to change their policies and stop practices that harm Palestine.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk and X have not given an official response regarding this boycott. However, on November 20, 2023, Musk announced that he would donate all X profits related to the war in Gaza to hospitals and relief efforts in Israel.
He also threatened to deactivate X accounts that used words such as “Zionist”, “Israel”, or “Jew” to defend Palestine. This move was seen as a form of apology and provocation by some X users.
The boycott of X shows how important the role of social media is in shaping public opinion and influencing political attitudes. With social media, information can spread quickly and widely, but also vulnerable to manipulation and error.
Therefore, social media users need to be critical and selective in receiving and disseminating information, and respect differences in views and attitudes.
