German media: Concerns about Musk intensify, German companies accelerate "exodus" from X platform

Under growing distrust of Musk, more and more German companies are reducing or even ceasing their activities on the social media platform X. According to a recent survey by the German Digital Association Bitkom, not only has the frequency of posts by companies dropped significantly, but advertising spending has also clearly declined, with most companies calling for stronger regulation of the platform.

More and more German companies are reducing their activities on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) owned by American tech billionaire Musk. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the German Digital Association Bitkom on 602 companies with at least 20 employees.

58% of active companies stated that they have reduced the frequency of their posts on X or completely stopped posting. Only 32% of companies still post as frequently as before, while another 3% began to be active or increased their activity after Musk took over. 4% of companies said they never post content on X.

Currently, only 27% of the surveyed companies are still using X, compared to 32% in October 2023. At that time, 43% of companies had already stated that they had reduced or stopped their activities on the platform.

Concerns about Musk are intensifying

Bitkom pointed out that a core reason for the withdrawal of companies is the increasing doubts about Musk. 63% of respondents believe that Musk is dangerous, 74% oppose allowing individuals with similar social media influence to hold public office, while 66% of companies fundamentally oppose current executives of large corporations holding political positions.

After Musk took over the platform, paid advertising on X has also significantly declined. 51% of the surveyed companies stated that they have reduced or completely stopped their advertising on X, compared to only 26% in 2023. Currently, only 7% of companies are still advertising on X as they did before Musk took over, while 37% of companies have completely stopped advertising on the platform.

Bitkom CEO Röder said, "When an individual simultaneously holds great economic, political, and media influence, many companies choose to keep their distance."

Companies call for stricter regulation of X

Despite the numerous criticisms, most companies do not intend to completely exit the platform. Among companies that have official X accounts, only 11% plan to delete their accounts this year or next year. Another 4% have such intentions but have not yet set a schedule. 43% of companies have considered it but are not actively taking action. 39% of companies want to keep their accounts on the X platform unchanged.

In total, 85% of companies (including those that do not operate on X) demand stricter control of the X platform. 80% of companies stated that the platform is accelerating social polarization. Only 21% of companies believe that Musk's efforts have strengthened freedom of speech.

Sources: DW

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838067679676458/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.