Elon Musk is facing widespread backlash after announcing upcoming changes to the X social media algorithm that would promote content deemed informative or educational over other types of content.
According to Musk, the planned changes are in response to “Too much negativity” on the social media site. The entrepreneur wrote in a Jan. 3 social media post:
“Our goal is to maximize un-regretted user-seconds. Too much negativity is being pushed that technically grows user time, but not un-regretted user time.”
Users on X characterized the algorithm change as a form of censorship and questioned Musk over who would have a right to determine what constituted ‘negativity’ on the platform.
The upcoming change came days after Musk allegedly removed premium features from several accounts following an online feud over immigrant visas.
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Controversy over H-1B visas
On Dec. 27, a controversy erupted on X after Elon Musk suggested that the United States should overhaul the immigration process to attract top talent from foreign countries.
Several right-wing social media influencers began publicly attacking Musk in response to the post — arguing that the US did not have a shortage of talent and needed decreased immigration rates.
Following the highly charged debate between the two sides, right-wing influencers accused Musk of removing their access to premium features and monetization.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin urged Musk to remain committed to free speech on the platform and not ban users for disagreements or expressing views. Buterin wrote:
“Respecting free speech is easy when we agree with the speech, and hard when we think it’s awful. But the arguments for respecting free speech anyway are the same as ever: the banhammer is controlled by one group today, it will be controlled by another group tomorrow.”
The recent feud between Musk and users on X follows a battle between Musk and the government of Brazil over censorship that culminated in a ban of the X platform in the South American country.
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