By Blessing Nweke
On Thursday, Social Media Platform X, formerly Twitter, encountered widespread global outages for just over an hour, affecting more than 47,000 users in the United States, including X Pro users, as reported by Downdetector.com. Users in the UK and Asia also experienced difficulties accessing the platform, greeted with a message stating, “Welcome to X!”
Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion last year, owns the platform and has been silent regarding the outage. The disruption prompted the hashtag #TwitterDown to trend rapidly on various social media platforms, highlighting the swift spread of news in the digital age.
Fortunately, the outage was short-lived, with users regaining access to the platform after just over an hour. However, this incident adds to the challenges faced by X since Musk’s acquisition, particularly in terms of advertising revenue.
Under Musk’s ownership, X has witnessed a decline in advertising revenue, and controversies surrounding content moderation have emerged. Accusations of allowing antisemitic posts to appear alongside advertising led to a legal dispute with Media Matters for America, a left-leaning pressure group. Musk’s response involved suing the group that made the accusation.
Last month, Musk expressed disdain for advertisers who abandoned X, warning that such actions could jeopardize the future of the social media platform. The struggle for stability and profitability in the wake of these challenges remains an ongoing concern for the platform.
Additionally, X faces accusations of spreading disinformation, with the European Union formally stating its suspicions of the platform breaching rules related to countering illegal content and disinformation. This announcement further intensifies the scrutiny on X’s content moderation practices and its impact on global discourse.
As social media platforms continue to play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and disseminating information, the challenges faced by X underscore the complexities of maintaining a balance between freedom of expression and responsible content management. The outage serves as a reminder of the platform’s vulnerability to technical glitches and the impact on users worldwide.
While the outage was resolved relatively swiftly, the broader issues surrounding X, including controversies, legal battles, and accusations of spreading disinformation, indicate that the platform’s future under Elon Musk’s ownership may involve navigating a complex landscape of public opinion, regulatory scrutiny, and business sustainability. The social media giant will likely need to address these challenges proactively to ensure a stable and reputable presence in the ever-evolving digital sphere.