Elon Musk in the news
Look at the following examples of how Elon Musk has been in the news recently.
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A =
In February 2022, Elon Musk donated Starlink satellite terminals to Ukraine to support communication during the war with Russia. In October 2022, Mr Musk asked his followers whether Ukraine should consider giving up some territory to Russia in exchange for peace. This sparked outrage from Ukrainian leaders. Mr Musk's response was to announce plans to stop the funds for the Starlink units, but he later reversed his decision.
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B =
Recently, Elon Musk has endorsed a particular party in the German elections on his X account. For example, he did a live stream to his followers with the party leader. This upset European Union leaders who felt Mr Musk was breaking rules by boosting one candidate unfairly.
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C =
In January, Elon Musk took to X to tell his hundreds of million followers his negative opinion of a refugee charity. Since these comments were shared on social media, the charity workers have received hateful comments and threats from members of the public.
Join the discussion
Which of these examples did you have the strongest reaction to? Why?
Which of these examples shows the most power? Why?
Share your ideas in the comments below. Make sure you read what other students think too – and let them know if they changed your mind about anything.
Comments (128)
I had the strongest reaction to Example B. The party Musk supported was the AfD (Alternative for Germany), a far-right, suspected extremist political party. I think this has something to do with his suspected Nazi salute at the recent United States presidential inauguration.
Example C shows the most power because the words of a single person can convince millions of people to do something like that.
If someone's words can have such a massive effect should their posts be regulated? If social media is censored and regulated then should it only be limited to some people or all people? Is it appropriate to censor people on platforms that are meant for everyone to express themselves freely?
It would be nice for people to be civil on the internet, but if they are not, some restrictions should be put in place. While negative opinions should not be censored, hate speech should. Hate speech is damaging people and families, and this is what happened in Example C. A censored social media should still be available to everyone, because everyone should have some way to express their opinions. Censoring people on platforms meant for free speech probably is not the greatest idea, as it seems hypocritical. Despite this, people have mean and harmful things to say, and the people those thoughts are directed to, and everyone should not have to hear it.
I agree to some part with your opinión that we shouldn't accept any type of hate speech but I do not think censoring is the solution. Where would we put the limit on what is hate speech and normal speech and who would do It? Moreover, if we forget about people with negative opinions they will continue to think they are right, we should convince them with arguments. Also, Musk and the CEO's of other companies are trying to stop hate speech without compromising free speech, by allowing users to check or correct tweets or posts with real sources. I am in favour of these measures.
I don't think this should be regulated because a lot of people would feel kind of lonely and setback
I agree because... social sites like X should be unlimited expression of their feelings;- the European union leaders shouldn't have felt that way
I had the biggest reaction for example C because Elon Musk, as we know, has a lot of people who support and follow him in what he writes on the internet, and when he criticized and said that he doesn't support that charity, there could be unwanted comments and bad attitude towards to that charity. I think the example that shows the greatest power is example A because Elon Musk donated Starlink satelites out of good intentions and to give them support and help when they are in the worst condition or in crisis.
Elon musk does have a lot of followers online and what he says really matter. Elon Musk might have started it but sending the rude comments was actually bad. Just the way Elon Musk had criticized about this offense others all over social Media people go around insulting on another on the Internet, there should be an end to this criticism. Maybe a fine depending on the level of criticism. On the other hand I do think when ever something like this arises there can be better ways to talk about people or entities.
How would you measure the amount to fine someone?
Thank you for the question Maddy from topical talk. I think the best way to measure the amount to fine someone is by calculating the damages of the reputation that he or she has caused most especially when it's comes to a brand. Then it should be issued to him or her.
I have a strongest reaction to example A. Elon Musk‘s actions in Ukraine showed how one person’s decision can deeply affect an entire country during war. At first, he helped by donating starklink terminals, which was amazing and gave hope to many people. But later, his idea of stopping the funding and suggesting Ukraine give up territory felt shocking. It’s surprising how much control he has in such serious global matters, and it made me wonder if people with so much power realise the weight of their choices.
Example C shows the most power because it proves how words from a powerful person can influence millions. Elon Musk’s comments about the refugee charity not only spread negativity but also caused harm like hate and threats to charity workers. This shows that even a simple opinion from someone so peaceful can shape how the public behave. This kind of power is scary because it shows how easily words can cause damage when not used carefully.
TBH, these examples make me think about how important it is for powerful people to be responsible with their actions and words, as they can impact lives and even countries.
Thank you :)
Agreed. Elon Musk's net worth is 400 billion USD. That's more than double Ukraine's GDP, a country with 37 million people. Our society has extreme wealth inequality. While there are people who starve and struggle to make ends meet, a small group of billionaires manage to hoard more wealth than entire countries. They also own several social media and communications companies, ensuring that they are able to remain in the spotlight. These billionaires and tech moguls are able to move mountains on a whim, each bearing the weight of millions of people.
It's concerning how much suffering and disorder can unfold due to the actions of a singular person, with few checks and balances. And while Musk withholding millions of dollars in aid and vocally criticizing charities may sound alarming, truthfully, this only scratches the surface of what power can do. There are world leaders like Trump, Putin, and Xi who hold access to their large nuclear arsenals. These nuclear weapons are able to unleash devastation, obliterating towns and cities alike, and killing billions with a press of a button. Even dictators ruling small rouge countries and hermit kingdoms have the army and authority to do whatever they like, even at the expense of their starving population. Numerous wars and conflicts that have no need to exist still occur due to the actions of military leaders.
So while Musk does own a considerable amount of influence, he is only one member of a very exclusive club of elites.
It is astounding to think how few people possess such great wealth and power. Take Elon Musk, for example. His personal fortune is greater than the GDP of some nations. That disparity is jaw dropping, particularly when considering how many people are fighting to get by. And it is not only his net worth, is it? These billionaires often own huge parts of our communication infrastructure, providing them a perfect platform to manipulate the society’s narrative.
However, Musk is not alone in this. There are world leaders like Trump, Putin, and Xi who keep the nuclear button on their fingertips. With one command, they are capable of assuming charge of off-the-wall destruction. Even the rulers of smaller nations who emerge as dictators have the potential to unleash havoc on their own citizens. And a large number of disputes appear to take place out of nowhere, thanks to a select few individuals.
We all know that Musk undoubtedly has a lot of influence, but he is one piece of a larger puzzle. Him along with an elite group of african leaders possess a great degree of power and control. Dealing with this intricate problem is nothing shallower than worrying, especially considering how nowhere close we are to establishing an evened out system.
I appreciate how this platform has got us all together and made us think about the world in such a huge perspective!
I think that C shows the most power based on the possible answer choices. Being able to speak about your opinion and influence millions of people based of what you have to say about a topic (in this case charity) shares how much power and impact that you can share on a person. In my opinion, charity provides aid and resources for people who are not in the same predicament or setting that middle class or higher class citizens are in. Following this comment, multiple people sending hateful messages to charity workers to me is outrageous. Having this amount of power to effect people enough to send hateful messages to people who they don't know is mind boggling, and is making me wonder how someone can have enough power to influence someone to send offensive messages to strangers, and change how they live.
I strongly agree with you, when Elon Musk talked about his negative opinion on the charity. Mostly everyone got mad at the charity even though most of them probably didn't ever have a negative opinion on the charity. It also surprises me how much power he has that mostly all the people followed him after he shared that negative comment, causing people to send hateful comments and even sending threats.
From my point of view, probably option A. This is because I believe Musk wasn't the first one two do those things. Powerful or popular people influencing elections is something that has always happen, I mean, there was a time everyone would watch the same two or three tv channels of their respective countries, which would endorse and try to convince you how bad one candidate was and how good the other one was, and media outlets still do that today but it is true social media may have a wider public all around the world. Moreover, celebrity endorsement has always existed and not only Musk's allies are using it. Also, cancelling people, groups and so on... has become something even common nowadays even though Musk may hold more popularity than other people who have tried to cancel something. But for me, I think seeing an individual by its own, not through a country, having so much so as to make important decisions in a war is just impressive. Moreover, I would like to say that it is true Musk is doing publicity for the AFD and getting them to be known all around the world, but I don't think he is going to influence the vote of many Germans. There are those who don't care about Musk, those who hate him and those who love him. Those who hate or love him will probably don't change their mind, and those who don't care will ignore Musk. I also think that if traditional media talk a lot about this they will just make publicity for the party and may alienate those who didn't care once. In my case, if someone tells me what to think or do I may as well do the opposite.
Do you think the influence social media is having on elections is becoming more dangerous?
At this moment no. It is true that Elon Musk is using all his capacities and money to influence elections all around the world in favour of far-right parties, but he is not the first person to do this. Some examples are George Soros, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg... they all have done the same but haven't received as much attention because they exerted influence through foundations, institutions and specially news outlets. But now, we are seeing how social media is getting as important or more than media outlets, (as it is a global thing where almost anyone can express their opinions) so it is true that there is more public here now than in the news before, and politicians and powerful people like Musk are now exerting influence through here. It is just the same gift but with different wrapping. Fake news are still certainly a problem in social media as well as bots spreading misinformation or propaganda from certain nations, but I think that with community notes even Musk is trying to change things. Also, propaganda and misinformation have always existed too. The only new thing that could influence society's ideas and elections is that now we can all hear almost every opinion with X, instagram or youtube (for bad or good) so now people aren't only getting their ideas or news from the same 4 or 5 individuals (those who control the news) but from many people who may or may not be well informed and this is indeed having effects on society. We still don't know if benefitial or detrimental effects.
I agree with the statement "Do you think the influence social media is having on elections is becoming more dangerous" because people on social media can make things up and say things that are not true and as the majority of users online are young people, they can be influenced negatively. Such as when Elon Musk said just before the election in November that he strongly supports Donald Trump which could affect a voters opinion on who to cast they vote for based on celebrity endorsement. Also as AI is getting stronger every day, it could make a generated video of someone that people could look up to saying things like "Vote for ..." which could affect the result of the overall election if some people cannot tell the difference between AI generated and unedited facts.
I understand your point about social media as there, you can get information very quickly without the need to check its veracity and because of the algorithm, you are only able to hear the opinions you like or agree with even though they are wrong without seeing different arguments or perspectives and could radicalize more some people. However, Musk is in favor of banning radicals of all sorts from his platform if they spread misinformation continously and the community notes are being a good way of checking facts without affecting freedom of speech as it is not a selected group of people banning but all users checking them and giving sources. Also, there are certain media outlets which also spread fake news or distort events. Moreover, Harris used much more celebrity endorsements than Trump. The reason why Musk endorsement was more effective is that we live in times of instability with the common people having problems every day (inflation, housing crisis...). Therefore, when we see very rich people like actors or musicians who do not know our problems but are still telling us what to do and support the establishment, many people may get angry. Musk, also ignores the common man's problems and lives in a whole different reality, but he appears to be an outsider (even though he may not be one, as he supports Trump) and an anti-establishment, which may resonate with people who blame the ruling parties and people for their problems.
I agree that the influence of social media is becoming more dangerous, since the masses are actively on social media, scrolling, watching and acknowledging every single move. With every tap and click the world is on social media and so is politics.
It has become more like power that influences and your influence is determined by the number of followers you have, no.of likes, shares or comments on a single post, it is an undeniable power that can seamlessly change and shape thoughts and opinions , while some nations deny access to this tool there are others whose democracy is run on these platforms.
However, the impact it has on the elections is truly endangering the basic principles and core values of democracy i.e having fair elections and independent voters rather than partial,manipulated elections with the elites or the rich in the country supporting the party that proposes laws and policies in their favor thus favoring short - term profits over long - term instability and thats when social media comes into play .
When these platform owners and corporates unethically favor a party by openly collaborating with them and supporting their campaigns and influencing the users to see the positive of their favored party by drastically increasing the frequency of the posts visible of their favored party and the users are thus lured and manipulated into this influence trap thus stripping off fair elections. If such influence of social media persists, it would soon lead to democracies and democrats be a mere puppet at the hands of these elites.
I had the biggest reaction to Example A. During the war, communication was critical for Ukraine's military, emergency responses and staying connected. Musk's donation ensured they could keep communication even when infrastructure was damaged.
Later, he threatened to stop funding Starlink, showing just how much control he had. His decisions affected an entire country during a war, proving how influence he holds.
I robustly stand in the contrary of this statement. Though he has power to change the world, he may wield it unethically. Just imagine his influence in US elections. He donated about $1 million to a random person each day for about 1 month to just make Donald Trump win. Wasn’t this was a bunkum? I strongly believe that this statement of yours in seen only from a positive aspect and not witnessed from diverse perspective.
I felt a specific feeling towards B for some strong reason.I feel like most connected with B because all over the news and from friends and such we have heard the salut of the Nazis.At the situation I felt ties with Germany and felt like Germans are either disappointed or shocked that the salut was so familiar and was identifiable.We mentioned in class today that Elon had a different way a doing my heart to you hands signal but I don't know why it changed.It felt awkward.I believe everyone around the world seemed shock it was crazy.
I was most affected by example C, where Elon Musk shared his negative opinion of a refugee charity on social media. His comments led to charity workers receiving hateful comments and threats, which is unfair and harmful. I believe that using his platform to criticize a charity in such a public way can have serious consequences and should be done with more thought and consideration for the impact it may have on others. In terms of demonstrating the most power, I think example A stands out the most. Elon Musk's ability to donate starlink satellite terminals to Ukraine during the war with Russia , and then later using the threat of stopping funds to make a statement , demonstrates the influence he has in shaping global events. His actions and decisions in this situation had a direct impact on a occurring thousands of miles away showing the immense power he holds as a tech entrepreneur, and public figure.
The show of power in point A seems small compared to the ability to control opinions, but being able to change global events with your words alone is crazy to think about, and many histoical figures are like that to for examle Adolf Hitler, or Josef Stalin both made terrible decisions but their ability to change world events and opinions , led them to almost take over Europe. I guess influence really is the determining factor for world events. Thank you for opening my eyes to this.
I had the strongest reaction to news story B, because it showed that Elon Musk, who knows he has a large influence, was willing to unfairly endorse a political party with his reputable image. Since he has a large social media following and influence, he could easily sway people who already follow him in Germany. Elon is also a well-known person with companies like Space-X and Tesla, so I feel he's trying to make this political party he endorsed have a better reputation.
Can you tell me what you think the consequences are to this endorsement?
One consequence I think could be the result of the endorsement is distrust between Europe and Elon Musk. According to CCN, political leaders in Europe, such as the French president and Norway's prime Minister, have denounced Elon for trying to interfere with their politics. This could lead to a strain on Elon's relationship with Europe, such as the halt of production or sale of Tesla. I also know that Elon has association with Trump, so it could also negatively affect how Europe views him.
I see your point, but I think that if people like Macron or other European leaders criticize him, this will only benefit how some if not many Europeans view Elon and Musk. Macron, Scholz or Pedro Sánchez (Spain's president, who has also criticized Elon) are disliked by a lot of people in their respective countries and many people could start liking much more Musk and Trump if they see them being criticized by their disliked leaders. As in Europe is a very big continent with different countries and cultures, I will talk from what I see in my country although it may be similar. Here and in other places, almost all the media and politicians dislike Trump and his allies even though his policies or ideas are never mentioned and they only talk about the most sensationalist and controversial topics. If you ask most of the people, they won't know more than the surface of Trump's migrations policies and not much more. However, the media and politicians are talking now a lot about Trump and Elon, resulting in many people getting informed about this topic or doing what I mentioned before. Moreover, Trump has got plenty of allies all over Europe. In my country, the third biggest party is aligned with Trump. Many people are angry with their current rulers and that is why anti-establishment leaders, like Trump or his political allies, from both sides of the spectrum, were (since the economic crisis in 2008) and are, getting very popular (especially among the young electorate), undermining the old bi-partisan system in some countries like mine. It could be defined as a global phenomena.
Elon musk has modify the critics, disrupted, industries and made the most money ever how from PayPal, Tesla motors,sola city spaceX.
THIS ARE FIVE WORD TO DESCRIBE ELON MUSK.
. ELON MUSK IS INNOVATION.
. Elon musk is inspiring.
. Elon musk is fast acting.
. Elon musk is ambitious
. Elon musk is obessive.
I agree, but there is one point that you're missing, Elon Musk thinks he's the smartest. Because of his cartoonishly big ego he has the habit of often undermining people in a lower stead and appears biggoted, though some people argue that's because he's on the spectrum (autism), I believe that his power and wealth have finally gotten to him and headline C is the perfect representation for my point. And not only C, we can also see slivers of my point in headline A, he asked his followers about such a big decision regarding a *war* as if completely ignoring its impact and what the Ukrainian were fighting for and then threatened to take back his funds when faced with backlash.
I felt a strong reaction to A and C. After all, Elon Musk has a lot of influence so he knew that many of people would agree and support Musk's beliefs since he is very rich and is in the media a lot at the moment because he is the finance advisor for Trump. So, he must have know that some people would believe that the comments about the refugee charity.
From reading all of them I had the strongest reaction to A. This is because of how Elon decided to do a good deed but then later tried to revoke it which in my opinion is not right especially with all the net worth he has which is more than enough to support anything, not to mention his overall influence on all his platforms, I also believe that his actions were not right to spread a comment about a country you decided to support and then suddenly switch around your thoughts, this is not acceptable and should also be a reminder of what type of person Elon Musk is. After he made the comment and controversy with Ukraine started I think his main reason for reversing his decision to stop funding for the country was because of how much hateful feedback he go after it and to uphold his image he decided to reverse it which overall is still not good intentions because of how Elon is trying to uphold his image as a caring, responsible, and drama free person when his past and recent actions do not match up.
In conclusion I had the strongest reaction to A because it is baffling to me how somebody could be so selfish after being the one to give out handouts at first and spread disrespectful comments to the alliance he built especially on his very popular platform X which his following goes over 200 million.
The example that got the strongest reaction out of me was C and upon reading the example I took it upon myself to do some more research as to what negative opinions he was actually voicing. I was truly disturbed by the remarks he had made towards the charity; the comments were made in regard to a video published by the charity informing prospective refugees of the resources available to support them in their refuge such as contact details of the charity and the rights that they have. I already expected the remarks made by Musk to be fairly controversial but I was simply shocked at what accusation he brought into his tweet and how little of a reaction this news had. I may have simply been uninformed but I didn't hear of such news until this post by the topical talk and I think that was the strongest demonstration of power out of those examples because it highlights how such an influential person can slander a charitable organisation and have so little consequences to it.
The one that shocked me the most was A because Elon helped Ukraine with his satellites and just after stating his opinion they get mad at him! I mean I understand that they value their land but he was just saying a potential solution and his opinion. It's not like he was forcing them to give away their land.
The reasons the others (B and C) didn't shock me is because they were reasonable, live streaming with anyone popular can boost your popularity tremendously and that's not fair it's an unfair boost. And the reason c didn't surprise or shock me is because Elons opinion is powerful and lots of people will agree with him so they will support his opinion by saying or doing something in this case saying hateful comments.
The one that showed the most power was c because he showed that just him saying an opinion can cause serious damage( as i said his opinion is very powerful). His social status is very high so you would expect his opinion can cause problems and solve problems.
Now this is my opinion i want hear yours in the comments.
I had the strongest reaction to example C. It demostrate not only the power that influencers have but specially Elon Musk´s influence on people. I don´t personally let influence by the way famous or rich people think or act and I think people should show personality and don´t take their deccisions in base of what famous people think. Finally, I would like to add that I see a very bad and deplorable the act of send hateful comments or threats to a person only because a famouse man as it is Elon Musk say that he doesn´t like them, I think those people should show a bit more of personallitie.
I had the strongest reaction to example B. Because it clearly showed that Elon Musk was going to endorse a political party with his reputable image in an unfair way. Elon Musk had a huge social media follower and influence too. So, swaying someone who is already following him from Germany is a piece of cake to Elon. Also Mr. Musk has a good reputation in a lot of companies like for example PayPal, Tesla and Space-X. So, I guess he's trying to make a good reputation about the political party that he made.
Thanks for reading my comment, Topical talk!