"Multi-disciplinary Independent Researcher"
Canada #66
Distraught Leftists Flee Elon Musk’s X to Pro-Censorship Platform ‘Bluesky’ – Whatever Happened to Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Twitter Killer?’
by Ben Kew Nov. 13, 2024
Leftists distraught at the results of the 2024 presidential election are fleeing the X platform in protest of Elon Musk, but they cannot seem to decide where to go instead.
According to The Guardian, which today announced that it would also be leaving X because of the “disturbing content promoted or found on the platform,” Bluesky has gained 700,000 members since Donald Trump swept to victory against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
The report states:
Social media platform Bluesky has picked up more than 700,000 new users in the week since the US election, as users seek to escape misinformation and offensive posts on X.
The influx, largely from North America and the UK, has helped Bluesky reach 14.5 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September, the company said.
Social media researcher Axel Bruns said the platform offered an alternative to X, formerly Twitter, including a more effective system for blocking or suspending problematic accounts and policing harmful behaviour.
“It’s become a refuge for people who want to have the kind of social media experience that Twitter used to provide, but without all the far-right activism, the misinformation, the hate speech, the bots and everything else,” he said.
“The more liberal kind of Twitter community has really now escaped from there and seems to have moved en masse to Bluesky.”
Bluesky was founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey back in 2019, although it later became an independent entity. Dorsey has since left the company board and urged users to remain on X.
It claims to give people additional control over their online experience, although its real attraction for leftists is its apparent ability to “police harmful behavior.”
However, leftists are already encountering the same problems faced by conservatives before Elon Musk bought Twitter.
While there were various free speech social media platforms including Parler, Gettr and Truth Social, the market remained fragmented between them and people were unable to coalesce around one particular platform.
The rise of Bluesky will also come as a blow to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who launched Threads back in 2023 as a competitor to Twitter.
As Musk guaranteed users freedom of speech, Zuckerberg promised users the aggressive censorship and “content moderation” already implemented against Facebook and Instagram.
Many users consequently flocked there, although the platform has failed to gain any significant traction and is nothing more than a left-wing echo chamber.
Another platform frequented by those disillusioned with X is Mastodon, an open-source social network with aggressive censorship policies.
However, it appears that no single platform has yet to capture a significant market share. Given that X remains the only platform serving as a genuine public for all ideas and interests, don’t be surprised if these “disillusoned” leftists end up coming back with their tail between their legs.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/11/distraught-leftists-flee-elon-musks-x-pro-censorship/
Further mass displacement possible in Ukraine if energy sector hit, UN warns
By Emma Farge November 15, 2024
GENEVA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Any additional Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system could trigger a further wave of mass displacement as winter approaches, a senior U.N. official said on Friday.
As the war grinds towards its third winter, civilians are more vulnerable than at any other winter during the conflict due to Russian strikes on its energy system and donor fatigue, said U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale.
"The real concern is if they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point…for further mass movements, both inside the country and outside the country," he told reporters in Geneva.
Any further displacement would add to the 3.6 million that are currently displaced within Ukraine and the more than 6 million who have fled across its borders to escape the conflict that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Around 65% of Ukraine's own energy production is currently offline due to Russian strikes which is more than at this same point of the year in 2022 or 2023, Schmale said.
Ukraine now relies mostly on power generated by its nuclear plants and its grid operator this week introduced power limits for businesses in the first such move since August after a massive Russian missile and drone attack.
The United Nations and partners are implementing the Humanitarian Winter Response Plan aiming to address emergency needs by delivering fuel and other items to help people stay warm.
Shelters, known as Invincibility Points, where residents can warm up and drink tea have also been set up, he said.
Schmale voiced particular concern about people stranded in high-rise buildings and the disabled and elderly living close to the front line in Kharkiv and Kherson.
So far, aid workers have reached about half of the 1.7 million people targeted but funding shortages are constraining efforts, he said.
This year, the U.N. humanitarian response has received $1.8 billion out of $3.1 billion sought which is less than in 2022 and 2023, he said.
"So the trend is clearly downwards, but we still get a lot of money compared to other crisis situations and our plea is that this is maintained because the war is not over."
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/further-mass-displacement-possible-ukraine-if-energy-sector-hit-un-warns-2024-11-15/