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By Johanna Gardener •
Published: 16 Nov 2024 • 13:52
• 2 minutes read
Several of Norway’s public institutions have left the social media platform X (formerly Twitter)
Credit:Shutterstock:Kovop
Norway is making a stand against Elon Musk s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with some public institutions exiting the site.
Amid recent speculation regarding Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), Norway too seems to be taking a definitive stance against the brand. It all started with Trump’s US election to presidency: following months of campaigning and solid buddy backing, Trump elected Musk to be leader of a new department, the Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) – in charge of managing government spending. Many have criticized social media entreprise, X, for spreading highly conservative propaganda, prompting millions to exit the platform and seek refuge in X’s rival, Bluesky.
Huge X appears in the sky as public institutions withdraw from platform
Norway, like many countries across Europe are anxiously waiting in the wings to see who Trump will elect to be part of his government entourage. Not least, there are concerns about Musk’s affiliation with Trump and the impacts on social media. In Oslo this week, a huge “X” appeared in the sky in the midst of some highly public withdrawals in Norway from the X social media channel owned by tech wizard and multi-billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk.
SSB reprimanded for spreading a political message after exiting X
One such public withdrawal was that of the Norwegian Police, who stopped using Musk’s X a few weeks ago. Now, Norway’s state statistics bureau, SSB are following suit. Many have reacted to the decision outraged. Newspaper Aftenposten reported users were appalled by the public announcement, reprimanding SSB for spreading a political message. One angry user of the site posted:“Skam dere, (Shame on you).” A further user attested that SSB “had gone woke also.”
SSB defended their actions, claiming that the decision to retract from the platform was due to low traffic on their posts. They stated that it had been a coincidence unrelated to Trump’s election. SSB added that they had concerns over how X was handling private data and had decided to opt for safer channels including Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin but insisted there was no conspiracy involved. Preben Aursand of SSB told Aftenposten: “We understand that folks have questions and are engaged, but it’s sad to read that our exit from X is generating more meaning than what’s actually the case.”
Elon Musk is losing favour in Norway after period of Tesla success
The interesting thing is that Elon Musk was once considered top dog in Norway – mainly due to the country’s government incentives, which boosted Tesla electric car sales. Musk had publicly expressed gratitude for Norway’s attempts to integrate Tesla as part of their own efforts to cut emissions. However, the tables turned when new legislation in line with EU normatives dictated that incentives like tax exemptions were to be repealed. Musk put his foot in even deeper mud by not recognizing the organized labour system across Scandinavia, placing him firmly in the bad books.
Reactions to Musk’s election across Norway have been two-fold. Some are celebrating the jump in Tesla shares, while others are repenting the high repair costs for their vehicles. Slije Sandmæl, a renowned economist at Norway’s largest bank said that her Tesla was “the worst investment” she’s ever made.
Will Musk defend import tariffs under Donald Trump?
Norway is concerned that Musk will not come forward under Trump in defence of import tariffs which the President hopes to increase. It would not be in Musk’s interests to contribute to strangling foreign trade, so he must tread carefully as right now, both Musk and his many entreprises including social media could be in jeopardy.
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Written by
Johanna Gardener
Originally from Manchester, UK and with a degree in English with Modern Foreign Languages, she has been a permanent resident in Spain for the past 12 years. Many of these years, she has spent working as a secondary school teacher, as well as in journalism, editing and marketing. She currently lives in the historic centre of Malaga, where she enjoys writing, walking and animals.
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