The screenshot has gone viral sparking a social media firestorm on platform X, previously known as Twitter, following an alleged message attributed to the platform’s owner, Elon Musk that seemed to condemn using the word “weird” for Trump supporters.
The alleged message was posted by someone else and immediately went viral evoking thoughts on freedom of speech in relation to bias in politics and moderating content on social media.
In quick succession, thousands of reposts were piled up for this screenshot which allegedly depicted Elon Musk telling:
“‘Weird’ is an insult being hurled at Trump supporters and this will not be allowed. In their beliefs, Trump’s followers should not be mocked or harassed because they are weird. Calling Trump supporter ‘weird’ amounts to harassment, and it will not be tolerated.”
If genuine, this would constitute an important moment in Musk’s tenure as head of X, illustrating how fostering free expression may conflict with protecting individual users from targeted abuse. Following the posting of the screenshot some users praised Elon Musk for defending a group that often gets ridiculed while others argued that it created dangerous grounds for clamping down on free speech at the site.
However, doubts about its authenticity spread as more people shared this post.
An extensive inquiry established that there is no record of such message on Musk’s official X account or within his deleted posts available on PolitiTweet –a platform keeping track of deleted messages from public figures.
This high-profile post did not appear among either present or past posts thereby making many people assume the screen shot is likely fake.
Against the backdrop of 2024 US Presidential race context; the timing is very significant. Since Vice President Kamala Harris who is actively participating has been repeatedly using phrase “weird”. When talking about Donald Trump former president and his running mate thus adding further fuel into political rhetoric ongoing across these states.
@theliamnisson has been involved in spreading false information before. The account, which is a parody account, has previously shared fake news and satirical posts like this viral screenshot. Which claimed that Trump called US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene “sasquatch.”
Despite its possible lack of authenticity, the wide circulation of Elon Musk’s screenshot highlights the difficulties faced by social media platforms in striking a balance between free speech and misinformation moderation needs.
