More than 60 German-speaking universities and research institutions have decided to discontinue their activities on X (formerly Twitter) in response to developments on this social media platform.
These organisations feel that, to engage in meaningful communication with the public, they need an environment that is fact-oriented, transparent, democratic, and respects diversity, freedom, and open-mindedness. They feel this is no longer the case on X.
Since being taken over by Elon Musk, X has seen a steady decline in popularity, mainly because the platform’s algorithm favours content that matches the owner’s worldview. X went from a place of constructive exchange into a tool of disinformation. Evidence of meddling in democratic processes in the USA triggers fears of similar developments in Europe. These and other changes make X’s continued use unacceptable for many institutions in Germany committed to fact-based knowledge and democratic values.
Scientific and fact-based communication is not always easy on other platforms, but in many, it is possible, at least, to counteract fake information with well-founded and fact-based content. In contrast, at X, the aim is to make such content invisible. Many institutions, including Goethe University, are advising its faculties, affiliated institutes and facilities, as well as the researchers and scientists to check whether they still consider an account on X to be useful for them.
To avoid third-party misuse of their institution’s name, organisations will leave their X accounts in a “frozen” state and stop sharing content. Other organisations are currently considering similar steps.
The complete list can be found here in German: http://n.idwf.de/845520.