Anyone who researches “X,” the former Twitter, these days will hear a lot of nostalgia. Interlocutors wistfully remember the early years of the platform, stimulating debates, helpful and interesting information and a positive and curious atmosphere for discussion. The world as a global village, gathered together around the Twitter campfire and always looking for new insights and good digital encounters – for millions of users around the world, this was the appeal of the network, founded in the USA in 2006, for years.
But those days are over, and most people we spoke to can say exactly when they were over: October 28, 2022 – the day Elon Musk took over the network. Since then, many complain, the platform, which Musk renamed “X”, has turned into a downright toxic place, where right-wing extremist misanthropes and conspiracy mystics in particular set the increasingly harsh tone.
Media ethicist: Increase in misinformation and hate speech on “X”
The Austrian theologian and media ethicist Claudia Paganini confirms this impression to katholisch.de. “Since Elon Musk took over, ‘X’ has experienced profound changes, which are particularly noticeable in weaker content moderation,” she explains. Because Musk pursues a radical interpretation of “freedom of expression,” there has been an increase in misinformation and hate speech on the platform. “The line between freedom of expression and the spread of harmful content is becoming increasingly blurred. This has alienated advertising partners and users and made the platform less attractive in parts,” said Paganini, who teaches media ethics at the University of Philosophy in Munich.
Bild: ©picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild/Patrick Pleul
Elon Musk, Tesla boss, stands at the Tesla Gigafactory construction site.
It symbolizes the development of “X”. Musks eigener Account on the network. The billionaire and ardent Donald Trump supporter regularly goes verbally overboard with troll-like and right-wing populist posts. Just a few days ago he caused a stir by asking why no one was trying to assassinate US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamal Harris. Even though Musk, who currently has almost 200 million followers on the network, deleted the post, which was criticized by many users, after a few hours and later portrayed it as an unsuccessful joke – the Secret Service is now even investigating whether Musk poses a threat to the two politicians.
According to media reports, millions of users have left the platform since Musk’s takeover, many of them explicitly citing the billionaire’s behavior and the dramatically deteriorated debate climate. This also applies to more and more Catholic organizations – and is exemplified by the German dioceses. While in Twitter’s heyday almost all 27 dioceses were present on the network, only 17 now have their own “X” accounts. However, eight of these accounts have been inactive for months or even years. The Diocese of Münster The last time a post was made was on April 24th Diocese of Hildesheim on March 16, 2023 and that Diocese of Limburg even most recently on September 7, 2020.
Diocese of Mainz: “X” under Musk contradicts our values
In the past few months, several dioceses have suspended their activities on “X” until further notice or even permanently – and in doing so also referred to Musk and the climate on the platform, which they also perceived as negative. The Diocese of Mainz posted this on November 6, 2023: “Dear community, we used Twitter to reach people and convey our values. How Twitter, now X, has developed under Elon Musk contradicts this. Therefore, we will pause our activities on this platform until further notice. “
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The diocese of Trier made similar statements at the end of July. The diocese, which has long been one of the top German dioceses on Twitter, deleted its “X” accounts on August 1st and justified this with that“that hateful, discriminatory and disinformative content on X has become rampant in recent years.” It is believed that freedom of expression should not be an excuse to spread such content unfiltered. “In the last few months we have largely withdrawn from X. Now we are drawing the final line.” The Diocese of Speyer also pulled this just a few days ago. The diocese deleted its “X” account and, when asked by katholisch.de, also justified this with the negative development of the platform.
The (arch)dioceses of Berlin, Dresden-Meißen, Eichstätt, Hamburg, Cologne, Magdeburg, Munich and Freising, Regensburg and Würzburg are still represented with their own accounts on “X”. But here too, there are already signs of further departures. The Archdiocese of Hamburg has now announced to katholisch.de that it will stop using “X”. The platform never established itself as an essential communication channel for the archdiocese and there were hardly any meaningful interactions. In addition, the increase in conspiracy stories, misinformation or hatred in the discussions is noticeable.
The Diocese of Würzburg also wants to switch off its own “X” profiles
The same thing can be heard from the diocese of Würzburg. The company had already stopped its own activities on “X” in August and will be switching off the existing profiles, says online manager Johannes Schenkel. The diocese has been closely monitoring the change in tone and also the algorithms on the platform for months. “We can now clearly see that the content displayed on the profiles accessible to us has been specifically changed in order to create a mood in the spirit of Elon Musk.” The diocese spoke out on “X” itself for what was probably the last time a few days ago: “For many years, Twitter was a good place for us for current information from the diocese. X under Elon Musk no longer offers us a consistent home.” , it says there.
Bild: ©Kathpress / Stefan Schönlaub
The account of Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn is still the largest of a German-speaking bishop at “X”. But will the soon-to-be 80-year-old stay on the platform?
Claudia Paganini can understand the dioceses’ concerns about “X”; the continued use of the platform would be a “high-altitude walk” for church institutions. The question of whether one wants to support Musk and his ideology through one’s own presence on the network remains precarious – “especially for church representatives who are rightly expected to have high moral standards.” Nevertheless, the media ethicist still sees “X” as a relevant medium for the church and its institutions to communicate directly with a broad and diverse public. “It offers a platform for quick reactions to social debates and enables spiritual and social messages to be widely disseminated,” said Paganini.
She recommends that church representatives and church institutions who remain on “X” maintain clear and positive communication there and focus on promoting constructive dialogue. “In addition, they should respond to trolls and provocative content in such a way that they clearly distance themselves from one another, but otherwise largely ignore them and under no circumstances get involved in excessive debates that will lead to no result.” Instead, according to Paganini, church representatives can consistently and authentically represent their own core messages. In addition, an option for the poor can of course also be taken online and specifically on “X”, for example by showing digital civil courage when people become victims of hate speech.
What will become of the largest German-speaking bishop’s account on “X”?
Nevertheless, Paganini admits that she always thinks about deleting her own account on “X”. “Ultimately, I am convinced that places like ‘X’ will only become colder and more aggressive when people who value empathy and constructive dialogue withdraw.” But she is not convinced “that my decision is the right one.”
However, one thing should be clear: As long as “X” remains in the hands of Elon Musk and the development of the past two years continues, the exodus of Catholic accounts is likely to continue. And he could soon also be the one with around 21,000 followers so far Account with the highest reach of a German-speaking bishop on “X” affect – in this case, however, for other reasons. The Viennese Cardinal Christoph Schönborn will be 80 years old in January and is therefore expected to retire soon. According to his archdiocese, it is “currently still open” whether the cardinal will remain active at “X” afterwards.
By Steffen Zimmermann
