X Adds 10 Million Users In A Week & Reinstates Conspiracy Theorist Account

X Adds 10 Million Users In A Week & Reinstates Conspiracy Theorist Account
Tom Fogden
By Tom Fogden



Linda Yaccarino (pictured), CEO of X (formerly Twitter) proudly told users that the site added 10 million users during the first week of December — impressive growth for the troubled platform.

However, one of those 10 million users (and it was unclear how many were bots) was one Alex Jones — host of the conspiracy theory digital show Info Wars.

Yaccarino tweeted the news of its user growth on 8 December but did not offer any further explanation for the user growth or, indeed, any further proof.

Two days later, Musk asked users on the platform whether Jones should be reinstated — 70 per cent voted that he should.

Jones, if you’re unfamiliar, has used his platform to allege that the US government concealed information about or entirely fabricated the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the September 11 attacks and the 1969 Moon landing.

In 2022, the families of the Sandy Hook victims and a first responder were awarded $US1.487 billion ($AU2.27 billion) in damages from Jones by juries in Connecticut and Texas. The plaintiffs alleged that Jones’s lies led to them being threatened and harassed for years.

In the hours after being reinstated, Jones sat down for a three-hour-long Twitter space with Musk, Andrew Tate, Matt Gaetz and more noted right-wingers. Jones railed against the mainstream media and said that the public needed to be ready for his reinstatement on Twitter.

He also said it was a “Bold step” for Musk.

None of this will go any way to assuage advertiser fears about X and its dangerous flirtations with conspiracy theorists jeopardising their brand safety.

Last month, the platform was kicked out of Australia’s social media disinformation self-regulatory code after its inaction on disinformation surrounding the Voice to Parliament referendum. Just last week, Musk told advertisers — who made up 90 per cent of X’s revenue when he took over — to “Go Fuck Yourselves” after many of them left the platform following Musk’s endorsement of an anti-semitic conspiracy theory.

It has since been revealed that X is planning to shift away from its focus on large enterprise advertisers and focus more on small and medium-sized businesses.




Please login with linkedin to comment

X

Latest News

Mastering the balance beam: Finding cut through via experiences and exposure in sport
  • Opinion

Mastering the balance beam: Finding cut through via experiences and exposure in sport

From the hallowed turf of the MCG to every local suburban club around Australia, we’re a nation famed for our fervent love of sports. Sport in Australia is also becoming the last bastion of immediate mass reach entertainment, argues Starcom’s Roger Linttzeris (pictured above). Australian’s have a greater level of access to sport than ever […]

Sunday Gravy Welcomes Ego Pharmaceuticals To The Table
  • Advertising

Sunday Gravy Welcomes Ego Pharmaceuticals To The Table

Following a competitive pitch, Ego Pharmaceuticals has moved its business to Sunday Gravy. Ego produces over 150 different products, including well-known brands such as QV Skincare, SunSense Sunscreen, Aqium Hand Sanitiser, Elucent, MOOV, and Azclear. “We were looking for a creative agency partner that was just as passionate about long-term brand building and collaboration as […]

Unveiling Distinct Channel Opportunities: Insights From Dash Hudson’s Cross-Channel Social Media Benchmark Reports
  • Partner Content

Unveiling Distinct Channel Opportunities: Insights From Dash Hudson’s Cross-Channel Social Media Benchmark Reports

The rise of algorithmic content has changed social media, shifting feeds from social-driven to entertainment-driven. Short-form video now accounts for 38 per cent of social content on Instagram, and its dominance continues to grow. Community-building and curated content from creators have come to the forefront of marketers’ strategies, and at the same time, social commerce […]

Partner Content

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine