Muskboosts wealth of right-wing personalities in Europe through his influence on social media
Elon Musk's control over the social media platform X, which he purchased for $44 billion, has significantly impacted European politics. His interactions with far-right politicians and influencers have boosted their legitimacy and reach, raising concerns about foreign meddling and democratic integrity in Europe.
The Associated Press analyzed more than 20,000 posts over a three-year period from 11 far-right European figures who frequently promote a hard-right political or social agenda. The analysis revealed that Musk's engagement on X can lead to significant increases in their followers and viewership, effectively making him a "kingmaker" in European digital political spheres.
One such figure is Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which was classified as a right-wing extremist organization by the country's domestic intelligence agency. Musk has openly endorsed Weidel, hosting live discussions that spread controversial claims without contradiction. Following incidents like the 2024 Magdeburg car attack, Musk publicly criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, heightening political tensions.
European authorities have taken notice, investigating potential violations of the EU Digital Services Act related to the platform's algorithms possibly favoring AfD content. The European Union has expanded its investigation of X to assess how the platform pushes content to users and why some material goes viral. French prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into X over allegations that Musk changed the platform's algorithms to promote biased content.
Musk's influence extends beyond the AfD. In Cyprus, a little-known social-media influencer turned politician gained nearly 10 million views on X after Musk interacted with his account. Fidias Panayiotou, who advocated for Musk and seemed to have one ambition to hug the world's richest man, won a surprise seat as an independent in the European Parliament. Musk's interactions with Panayiotou expanded his typical audience on X by more than 3,000%.
In Germany, a climate skeptic named Naomi Seibt has had over 50 interactions with Elon Musk on X since June 2024. On days Musk interacted with Seibt, her posts got 2.6 times as many views, on average. Similarly, an anti-immigration activist in Britain, who was banned from Twitter and sentenced to 18 months in prison, has gained nearly a million followers since Musk let him back on the platform in late 2023.
Not all interactions have been positive, however. Tommy Robinson, a British anti-immigration agitator, has a link to his fundraising page on his X profile. Interactions from Musk more than doubled Robinson's daily views on X. Radio Genoa, an account reportedly investigated by Italian authorities for allegedly spreading hate speech, used X to publicize a GoFundMe campaign. Musk's engagement with Radio Genoa doubled the views on their account.
These interactions have fueled concerns in Europe about foreign meddling. The AfD party filed a lawsuit against the classification of their party as a right-wing extremist organization, a designation that has been suspended pending judicial review. Musk and top U.S. officials have criticized the classification as an attack on free speech.
X did not respond to requests for comment regarding the concerns about foreign meddling and the investigation into the platform's algorithms. As the investigation continues, the impact of Elon Musk's influence on European politics remains a topic of ongoing debate and concern.
[1] The Associated Press. (2024). Elon Musk boosts far-right European politicians on Twitter. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-europe-far-right-politics-174e7c29a2249626218f77247710f472
[2] The Guardian. (2024). Elon Musk accused of meddling in German election by promoting far-right figures. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/may/05/elon-musk-accused-of-meddling-in-german-election-by-promoting-far-right-figures
[3] Reuters. (2024). Elon Musk's Twitter interactions boost views for far-right European figures, AP finds. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/elon-musks-twitter-interactions-boost-views-far-right-european-figures-ap-finds-2024-05-11/
[4] The New York Times. (2024). Elon Musk's Twitter Interactions Boost Views for Far-Right European Figures, AP Finds. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/technology/elon-musk-twitter-far-right.html
[5] BBC News. (2024). Elon Musk's Twitter interactions boost views for far-right European figures, AP finds. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-61526724
- Elon Musk's interactions on the social media platform X, which he owns, have led to significant increases in the followers and viewership of far-right politicians and influencers in Europe, making him a key player in the digital political spheres.
- The European Union is currently investigating potential violations of the EU Digital Services Act related to X's algorithms possibly favoring content from the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, a right-wing extremist organization in Germany.
- In Cyprus, a little-known social media influencer turned politician, Fidias Panayiotou, gained nearly 10 million views on X after Musk interacted with his account, expanding his typical audience on the platform by more than 3,000%.
- In Germany, a climate skeptic named Naomi Seibt has had over 50 interactions with Elon Musk on X since June 2024, with her posts receiving 2.6 times as many views on average on days Musk interacted with her.
- European authorities are concerned about foreign meddling on X, as interactions from Musk have been linked to a boost in daily views for controversial figures and organizations, such as British anti-immigration agitator Tommy Robinson and Radio Genoa, an account reportedly investigated for hate speech in Italy.
