Elon Musk, known for his billionaire status and ownership of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has emerged as a significant player in influencing online campaign strategies, particularly for figures like Donald Trump. Musk's direct engagement on X, where he boasts a massive following of 203 million users, has been highlighted as a key contributor to the dissemination of misinformation surrounding the upcoming U.S. election. Reports indicate that Musk's posts have garnered significant attention, with flagged content generating over 2 billion views, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Following Musk's acquisition of X, there has been a notable decrease in content moderation efforts on the platform. This relaxation in monitoring has led to the removal of several employees responsible for filtering out misinformation, consequently transforming X into a breeding ground for false claims and unverified narratives, particularly concerning topics like the U.S. elections. Carnegie Mellon researcher Kathleen Carley described X as a central hub for misinformation, from which these misleading narratives often spill over to other platforms such as Reddit and Telegram. In the year 2023 alone, fact-checkers identified 87 of Musk's posts as false, yet collectively these posts managed to reach around 2 billion views, underscoring the platform's significant reach and impact.
The repercussions of this spread of misinformation on X are particularly palpable in critical states pivotal to the election outcome, such as Pennsylvania. Local election officials in these areas have found themselves grappling with a deluge of false claims circulating on the platform, causing confusion and distrust among the public. Instances like minor issues with voter registration being inaccurately portrayed as voter suppression have contributed to this climate of misinformation. Common Cause representative Philip Hensley-Robin clarified that the flagged registrations, in reality, were routine checks to validate voter eligibility, but distortions online have muddled the truth, exacerbating public skepticism.
One notable instance of viral misinformation was a fabricated video purporting to show Trump's mail-in ballots being destroyed. Shared widely on X by an account with 117,000 followers, this fake video raised alarms about the rapid dissemination of false information. Cyabra, an AI company focused on detecting and countering online falsehoods, highlighted this case as an exemplar of how easily manipulated content can quickly gain traction, deceiving a considerable audience before verification measures can be implemented.