X wins Media Man 'Social Media Platform Of The Year' award

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X (formally Twitter) wins Media Man 'Social Media Platform Of The Year' award

LinkedIn is runner-up

Elon Musk stuns crowd with blunt message: ‘Go f**k yourself’ - November 30, 2023

Billionaire Elon Musk stunned a live audience with his bombshell message to advertisers who left the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Elon Musk had some harsh words for advertisers fleeing platform X.

“Go f**k yourself,” Musk, owner of X, said during a Wednesday afternoon appearance at The New York Times DealBook Summit.

As reported by Fox Business, Musk made the comment while being interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin, speaking about the current advertiser boycott of the social platform.

“What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company,” Musk said.

“And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company.”

Musk also appeared to take a shot at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had earlier discussed Disney pulling advertising from the platform.

“Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f**k yourself,” Musk said, adding: “Go f**k yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.”

The CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, appointed by Musk, observed the interview from the front row “stone-faced”, The Hollywood Reporter said.

And, of course, the internet responded swiftly, with varying opinions on Musk’s remarks, including support for his unfiltered approach and criticism for potential damage to his reputation and companies.

Most notable of the responses came from English broadcaster Piers Morgan, who tweeted: “Brilliant …”

Another user asked, “Can you blame the guy? Never catches a break, calls for peace and is told he’s pro-Russian.

“Wants to save the world, get humans in space, and cement free speech …

“Yet he’s still pulled apart and his motives questioned, pretty hilarious. Legend imo”

But another suggested, “he needs to stop replying to comments from people making racist statements and legitimising them while making wild conspiracy-like comments”.

And another user asked bluntly: “he’s got to be high, right?”

Musk apologised for endorsing a social media post widely seen as anti-Semitic, describing it as “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done”.

In a comment on X, formerly Twitter, Musk on November 15 called a post “the actual truth” that said Jewish communities advocated a “dialectical hatred against whites,” which was criticised as echoing longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists.

The statement prompted a flood of departures from X of major advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Comcast and IBM who criticised Musk for anti-Semitism.

“I’m sorry for that tweet or post,” Musk said Wednesday. “It was foolish of me.”

He told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that his post had been misinterpreted and that he had sought to clarify the remark in subsequent posts to the thread.

Musk, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel earlier this week, insisted in the interview that he holds no discrimination against Jews, calling himself “philo-Semitic,” or an admirer of Judaism.

During the interview, Musk wore a necklace given to him by a parent of an Israeli hostage taken in the Hamas attack on October 7.

The necklace reads, “Bring Them Home.” Musk told Sorkin that the Israel trip had been planned earlier and was not an “apology tour” related to the controversial tweet.

News

Elon Musk's 'attitude' has contributed to an advertiser exodus from X. Here's why Meta's pedophile problem hasn't done the same - December 10, 2023

A long list of major brands stopped marketing on X after a report found ads next to pro-Nazi posts.

At least two brands dropped Meta after a recent report found ads next to suggestive photos of kids.

Elon Musk's attitude appears to be behind the reason advertisers are leaving X and staying on Meta.

Advertisers across social media are taking markedly different approaches to hosting their content on Meta's Facebook and Instagram compared to Elon Musk's X as the tech giants face heavy criticism for questionable content found on each platform — and it appears Musk's attitude is the reason.

In the last several weeks, The Wall Street Journal has published two massive reports outlining Meta's problem preventing pedophiles from being promoted on Instagram and Facebook, despite the company ramping up enforcement efforts, as well as detailing how brand-sponsored advertisements end up appearing next to "risqué footage of kids" and "overtly sexual adult videos" on Meta's platforms.

Despite The Journal's bombshell findings — which described brands like Disney and Pizza Hut having advertisements displayed next to content with simulated sex acts and suggestive posts involving children — only two brands (the dating sites Bumble and Match) have so far been reported by the outlet to have distanced themselves from Meta's platforms.

That's in comparison to a mass exodus of advertisers leaving X following a report that ads were being displayed next to pro-Nazi posts and owner Musk doubling down on comments criticized as being antisemitic.

Representatives for Meta, X, and Match did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

A representative for Bumble directed Business Insider to a public statement released by the company which said Bumble "would never intentionally advertise adjacent to inappropriate content" and has suspended its ad campaigns across all Meta platforms.

The representative did not respond to questions about whether Bumble would resume ads with Meta if it were deemed safe for the brand in the future or if Bumble advertises on X.

Musk's continued battle with advertisers
Musk is no stranger to criticism but has recently found himself in the crossfire again after responding to a post on X that said Jewish people are pushing "hatred against whites" and criticized the political ideology of "western Jewish populations."

"You have said the actual truth," Musk replied to the post.

His response has been widely criticized as being antisemitic, as the original post hinted at the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, often invoked against liberal Jews, which suggests non-white immigrants to the US are replacing white populations.

Musk later apologized, calling the comments "foolish."

The day after Musk's heavily panned post, the watchdog group Media Matters for America published a report that found ads on X were being displayed alongside pro-Nazi posts, prompting brands including IBM, Apple, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros. Discovery to suspend their marketing campaigns on the platform.

Though advertisers may be equally concerned about how their campaigns are viewed across social media platforms, their responses to handling those concerns have been remarkably disparate when comparing Meta's services with X — likely because of the striking difference in tone that leadership of each social media company has taken when addressing issues of brand safety on their platforms, two advertising experts told Business Insider.

"In the highly-polarized environment that exists in the US today, advertisers are reluctant to associate themselves with anyone whose views might alienate their customers or employees," Fred Cook, the chairman emeritus of the global PR agency Golin, told Business Insider. "Elon Musk definitely falls into that category. His personal brand is too controversial for many marketers — which undermines the appeal of their platform."

Brands that advertise on X already had a contentious relationship with the platform since Musk's $44 billion acquisition in October 2022, citing concerns over his overhaul of the content moderation policies on the website. But Musk's behavior has made those already tumultuous relationships even worse.

Instead of taking a hard-line stance against antisemitic content being posted on X, Musk instead filed suit against Media Matters for saying advertisements had appeared next to pro-Nazi content on the site.

"He does not take counsel from anyone on image or reputation or what he should say or what he should not say and I think, left to his own devices, he's sort of a bull in the china shop," Cook told Business Insider. "He's just unfiltered, and I think it shows. I don't think there's any other CEO or business leader whose communications staff would allow them to be so unhinged."

A 'question of attitude'
Lars Perner, a marketing and consumer behavior expert, told Business Insider that the difference in how brands respond to Musk's X versus other platforms "is mostly a question of attitude."

While a Meta spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal its platforms are ramping up enforcement efforts to combat exploitative content from being hosted on Facebook and Instagram — likely calming the nerves of concerned marketers, who are well aware of the risks of hosting ads on social media — Musk has doubled down on some of the initial behaviors that prompted criticism in the first place.

X's new brand-friendly CEO Linda Yaccarino has tried to ease tensions with advertisers, claiming that the company is "extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination." Still, her reassurances have been consistently undermined by Musk's off-the-cuff comments.

In a late November interview during the New York Times' DealBook Summit, Musk repeatedly said critical advertisers can go "fuck" themselves, saying emphatically: "If someone is going to blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself."

On Thursday, Musk specifically took aim at Disney CEO Bob Iger in a series of posts on X, saying he should be "fired immediately" from his role at the company, adding that Iger "thinks it's cool to advertise next to child exploitation material. Real stand up guy."

"At least Meta can say they're working on it and doing the best they can," Perner told Business Insider, adding "it's a little more difficult with X" because of Musk's cuts to the platform's content moderation teams and his controversial remarks.

Musk's net worth makes him the wealthiest man in the world, so he can undoubtedly afford to ostracize people. But it remains unclear how lasting the recent damage will be on brands' relationships with his social media platform or if X — which Yaccarino said in September was set to begin turning a profit early next year — is still on track to break even as it once again hemorrhages its top advertisers.

X claims that roughly $11 million in advertising dollars are at risk following the mass exodus of major brands, while a report from The New York Times put the platform's potential losses closer to $75 million.

But even if Musk manages to keep X's financial situation afloat, Cook said the billionaire's antagonistic stance toward advertisers, as well as the divisive nature of the comments he's been making publicly, will likely start driving customers away from his other brands.

Tesla investors have already voiced a lack of confidence in CEO Musk since his takeover of the social media platform, arguing that his antics on X are a distraction.

"I think Tesla's getting damaged from this also, not from advertisers per se, but from their image," Cook said. "I think there's a lot of people out there that would be very reluctant to buy a Tesla now — because of Elon Musk."

News

Social Media And Freedom Of Speech: What Are The Limits

Social media has dramatically changed the landscape of the media industry, leading to a shift in the way that people are exposed to their views.

(Search Engine Journal)

By Andrea Atzori

Traditional media has often been characterized by its inaccessible barriers to entry.

The costs associated with distributing content in major publications were, and still are, a prominent deterrent for parties looking to expose their messaging to a greater audience.

It was the industrialization of print media that afforded an opportunity to reach the masses at an unprecedented scale.

Though, it was the same innovative machinery that enabled companies to widely disseminate their publications, further restricting working-class demographics from propagating their views.

The Limitation Of Traditional Channels

In Power Without Responsibility, Curran and Seaton examine the history of British media. They found that fringe publications catering to a proletariat audience saw a steep decline in the mid-19th century, which persisted for many decades.

This can be attributed to the exorbitant financial capital required to leverage traditional media, which is reflected through historic trends about the value of newspaper enterprises.

In 1851, a New York City-based publication titled St. Louis Democrat was sold for $456,000; in 1920, similar localized publications were valued at $6 to $18 million.

As a result of this trend, the media of the last two centuries was largely influenced by a select few groups which had the sole means to exploit it.

This concentrated ownership of media channels saw a lack of diversity which was so critical that it could be likened to absolutism.

Throughout the 20th century, many nations found it necessary to enforce legislation that aimed to control the ownership of mass media. For example, Australia introduced the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.

This did little to alleviate the issue, for as of 2011, 11 out of 12 major newspapers in Australia were owned by two publications.

It seemed as though that even nations which are governed by liberal democratic administrations were impervious to the limitations that major publications imposed on their freedom of speech.

This was until the conception of social media.

The Rise Of Social Media

It’s no secret that digital channels are growing exponentially more popular by the day while traditional media is on the decline.

This can be corroborated by statistics indicating that users now spend nearly double the amount of time engaging with digital channels compared to traditional media.

It is further exemplified by the fact that newspaper publications have had their revenue drop by over 50% in the last two decades.

A Search Engine Journal article written by Shelley Walsh, titled What Is Social Media? states that:

“As of 2021, 84% of the U.S. population uses at least one social media network. China alone has 1 billion social media users, and 4.65 billion people use social media worldwide. That’s 58.7% (more than half) of the global population.”

*click here for full article and multimedia

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Greg Tingle

SEJ's Andrea with possibly the greatest and most insightful article I've read on the social media industry in relation to freedom of speech, censorship, trends and such. As a former journalist I greatly appreciate the elements raised. In the current environment and state of the internet and world in general, people have a diverse view of what is true/real, what is authentic and what is false/fake etc. This can be based on ones faith, linked to the most banned (why is that?!) book in the world,. known as The Bible. Level of trust or mistrust in the business of politics, level of trust/mistrust in media - be it mainstream (FOX, CNN, SKY, Newsmax, Telegraph, NY Post etc), "alternative media" (Rubin Report perhaps and possibly London Real and Alex Jones). Then you have satire such as The Babylon Bee, and the you have the thought stimulating podcasters such as Joe Rogan, Russell Brand, Logan Paul, Jordan Peterson, Chris Jericho, RVD and so it goes on). It's a Pandora's Box! Stay true to self and you can't go too wrong..but unless you own the platform others may not agree!

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Just add "Fact Checker", censorship, media code and an agency

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Social Media And Freedom Of Speech: What Are The Limits

How The Twitter Algorithm Affects Users And Advertisers

Find out more about the Twitter algorithm code and how to use it for a better experience, more visibility, and increased engagement

Social media companies generate revenue primarily from advertising, as shown in recent quarterly financial earnings reports from Twitter ($1.18 billion), YouTube Ads ($8.6 billion), and Meta ($32.2 billion).

Ad publishers charge advertisers based on the number of impressions, website visits, app installs, likes and retweets, video views, or new followers an ad campaign generates.

To ensure that advertisers reach ad campaign goals, a social network has to have a large audience with diverse interests.

That audience must spend a lot of time on the social network to help the ad publisher personalize each individual’s content and ads based on their interests.

Their interests are the elements that keep each user on the social network for the most time.

Elements include the people you follow, the people they follow, and every Tweet you engage with on Twitter.

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WebProNews - Substack LinkedIn

Thanks for the tip off. With Substacks ever increasing high profile status and well known hard hitting articles and posts, the liikes of which some newspapers haven't seen much of before, I'm somewhat surprised SS hasn't had more outages before. They've go to be a target by a few groups, but no finger pointing until solid proof! Most other big tech and online pubishing type establishements are getting their fair share of online attacks and o"outages" as we have come to know them, so the law of averages has kicked in. There's a few authors on SS that may have taken them into a high alert aka red alert type category. Hopelly they have a Plan A, B and C. There's going to be many SS writers who would be chopping at the bit to write about they think was the actual cause. Security remains of paramount importance for the digital landscape. Just another day in the Interneet Matrix Of Things. Can we say the Neo vs Agent Smith war continues.

Social Media Week

Social Media Week is a leading media platform and worldwide event with local presence and global reach, next taking place Sept 23-27, powered by Nokia.

Company Overview

Social Media Week (SMW) is a leading media platform and worldwide event with local presence and global reach across five continents, including Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Because of the shift we're experiencing and the changes happening in our lives, society, culture and business, our mission is to capture, curate and share the most meaningful ideas, trends, and best practices with regard to technology and social media’s impact on business, society and culture.

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We are experiencing one of the biggest shifts in how we communicate in human history. Because of this, our aim is to provide the best information, ideas and inspiration to help people understand how to achieve more in a hyper-connected world.

Who are we? Social Media Week is a leading media platform and worldwide event with local presence and global reach across five continents, including Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Because of the shift we're experiencing and the changes happening in our lives, society, culture and business, our mission is to capture, curate and share the most meaningful ideas, trends, and best practices with regard to technology and social media’s impact on business, society and culture.

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SMW has a distributed portfolio of media, news and event properties delivering content across multiple channels:

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