Jess Phillips, the UK's minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, scaled back her use of X (formerly Twitter) after Elon Musk's takeover, describing it as "a place of misery now" criticizing Musk's approach as "a bit despotic."
Phillips expressed concerns about social media companies' power and influence on society, and their potential to exceed government power due to a lack of democratic accountability.
Previously "massively addicted to Twitter," Phillips removed the app from her phone due to concerns over Musk's control over what people see on the platform and the impact of social media companies in general.
During the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Phillips mentioned being "sort of done" with X, citing her past addiction but stating that opting out is a way to exert power over social media companies and show dissatisfaction with their current state.
A rift occurred between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Elon Musk, with Musk calling Starmer "two-tier Keir" and criticizing his approach to policing.
Musk suggested that not all communities are 'protected in Britain' in relation to recent UK riots and tweeted that "civil war is inevitable" in the UK, which Downing Street criticized as unjustified.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: The Guardian, Standard, AOL, Daily Mail.