What to X-pect from Elon Musk in 2025
Americast
BBC
4.3 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 27 December 2024
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Over the course of 2024, X has changed from what Elon Musk once described as a “digital town square,” to a platform that seems to reward users with more extreme political views. Marianna focuses on individual X users who have shot to prominence, and are emblematic of the changes and their consequences. What makes some X users particularly successful, why does it matter, and what are the implications for other platforms? We also look at Elon Musk’s role, and what his game plan could be in 2025 with X.
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Marianna Spring, Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent
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This episode was made by Catherine Fusillo and Purvee Pattni. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Right, we're focusing in this episode on Elon Musk and X, formerly known as Twitter, |
| 0:09.6 | and we're doing so for one overriding reason, which is that it is important. |
| 0:14.1 | It's important politically. |
| 0:15.5 | Elon Musk himself is, of course, hugely important politically. |
| 0:19.6 | It is a social media platform that has evolved as well. |
| 0:23.9 | So we're going to look at why those changes matter, |
| 0:26.4 | what the implications are for politics, for culture, |
| 0:30.0 | both in the United States and also further afield. |
| 0:33.4 | And with Elon Musk getting ever closer, it seems, to Donald Trump, |
| 0:39.2 | how do the politics play out? |
| 0:40.5 | Welcome to AmeriCast. |
| 0:45.8 | AmeriCast from BBC News. |
| 0:48.9 | God spared my life for a reason. |
| 0:53.6 | Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. |
| 0:55.2 | A star is born, Elon. |
| 0:59.3 | I'm not just Maga. I'm dark Gothic Maga. |
| 1:02.5 | This is what happens when the machine comes after you. |
| 1:06.4 | I'm terrified for this country, and I'm so hurt that America let this happen. I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America. |
| 1:21.5 | It's Justin in the worldwide headquarters of AmeriCast in London, England. |
| 1:25.9 | And it is Mariana, aka Misinformation, also with Justin in the worldwide headquarters. |
| 1:31.3 | Right, X, Mariana, of which you know a lot more than me, as you do about most things, |
... |
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