The wave of abandonments from X, the social platform led by Elon Musk, is growing. After the recent controversies linked to the tycoon’s political positions and the accusations of poor content moderation, even illustrious voices on the Italian scene have decided to close their accounts, especially after the tycoon’s recent (yet another) interference in our affairs. Among these stand out Piero Pelù, former frontman of Litfiba, and Elio e le Storie Tese. Pelù, with an eloquent gesture of the middle finger towards Musk, justified his choice on Instagram by denouncing the “very dangerous statements” and the growing restriction of personal freedoms on the platform. An invitation to meet in real spaces, “where real and tangible life still exists”, accompanies the farewell to social media.
Elio and Storie Tese are on the same wavelength, defining X as a “sewer” and Musk as “a danger to democracy and freedom”. The band accuses the owner of using the platform for his “horrific propaganda” and invites fans to follow them on other channels. The exodus from X is not just an Italian phenomenon. The British newspaper The Guardian recently abandoned the platform, citing the presence of “often disturbing content”, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. Taylor Swift’s fans, the “Swifties”, are also migrating en masse to Bluesky, the social network founded by Jack Dorsey, after the numerous attacks and deepfakes aimed at the pop star on the Truth platform. The escape from X raises important questions about the future of social media and the role of their owners in public debate.
