As critics call for politicians to abandon X, the battle for public discourse on the platform continues. Now, a new survey reveals which Swedish politicians are defying the boycott demands - and why they choose to stay.
For years, X and its owner Elon Musk have been the target of harsh criticism from parts of the political and media establishment. At the same time, mapping carried out by Göteborgs-Posten (GP) that politicians from almost all parties continue to use the platform to reach voters and participate in the public debate.
Around 70% of Members of Parliament have accounts on the platform. Almost all ministers are also active.
One of the most vocal critics is the researcher Carl Heath, who believes that politicians should leave the platform.
– Apparently, many people have a really tough stomach, he says.
Leftists leave - as censorship eases
Former V-leader Jonas Sjöstedt has left X and describes developments since Elon MuskAccording to him, the platform has become a tool for political forces he opposes.
- It used to be fun to be on X, it felt like you could have free conversations. But especially after Elon Musk took over, it became a tool for the extreme right.
At the same time, many of the platform's defenders argue that the recurring criticism reveals a deeper conflict. They point out that it's not primarily about the climate of conversation, but that the public discourse has changed since Musk took over.
Before the change of ownership, the then Twitter ran an extensive campaign to weed out users and restrict content described by critics as conservative, nationalist or dissident. Since the change of ownership, more perspectives have been able to reach out, which in turn has made the platform less predictable for actors who previously dominated the debate.
For a long time, Twitter was notorious as a platform where left-wing views dominated, while so-called ”right-wing” views were actively silenced. When leftists suddenly find themselves facing backlash and questioning where they have long escaped questioning, they choose to leave the platform and call for a boycott.
SD politician: Musk is a hero
Sweden Democrats Josef Fransson is among the politicians most vocal in defending both the platform and its owner. He argues that X offers greater opportunities to reach beyond its own ranks than many other social media platforms.
- If you compare with Facebook, which I usually call an echo chamber. If you write in your own feed, it reaches the already saved, so to speak. Therefore, X is a more interesting tool, he tells GP.
He goes even further in his description of Elon Musk.
- I think Elon Musk is a huge hero for freedom of speech, and books should be written about him in the future, just for that act.
Fransson also points out that X is subject to scrutiny that other platforms escape.
- If SD does something, it will be worse than if Social Democrats do something. If X does something, it will be much worse than if Facebook does something.
The battle is about who controls the debate
Defenders of X argue that the platform's development shows that there are a large number of commentators and opinion leaders who want to participate in the public debate but have previously found it harder to make an impact. In their view, Musk's changes are a step towards a more open conversation where more voices can compete for voters' attention.
Critics see the same development as a problem. Supporters see it as evidence that public discourse has become less controlled and more open to perspectives previously rarely seen in established forums.
Regardless of the interpretation, GP's survey points in the same direction. Despite repeated calls for a boycott, the majority of Swedish politicians choose to remain at X. A large part of the political debate continues to take place there.
