ALAIN JOCARD / AFP
Already very critical of the social network since its takeover by Elon Musk, Anne Hidalgo made a radical decision: that of deleting her account.
POLITICS – The mayor of Paris wants to strike a big blow, and undoubtedly initiate the movement. In a column published this Monday, November 27 in the columns of the newspaper The worldAnne Hidalgo announces and explains why she made the decision to delete her Twitter account (now X).
X having become “ the weapon of mass destruction of our democracies ” after having been ” the revolutionary tool which, initially, allowed access to information for as many people as possible “, the Paris city councilor believes that it is time to leave the platform, although it had been ” one of the first French female politicians to join this network », from March 2009.
Anne Hidalgo justifies her decision on several criteria. And while evoking an infinite list of abuses (“ Manipulation, disinformation, amplification of hate impulses, organized harassment, proven anti-Semitism and racism, mobs attacking scientists ), she especially points to Elon Musk and his policy for X, since the takeover of the social network.
“ This platform and its owner are deliberately acting to exacerbate tensions and conflicts”she says, also citing “ a very clear political project which wants to do without democracy and its values for powerful private interests “.
“ Chaos Engineers »
In this column, she also criticizes the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX for hindering “ the advent of the radical ecological and energy transformation we need ”, for the benefit of “ climate-skeptical discourse promoted by fossil fuel interests and limitless predation of the planet “.
Not wishing to leave “engineers of chaos take our destinies in hand”, the mayor of Paris also targets the phenomenon of “ troll farms » and “foreign interference that interferes » in the electoral processes to motivate his decision.
Arguments which ultimately prompt him to ask the following question: “ This media has become a vast global sewer and should we continue to rush into it? “. The response of the former socialist candidate to the 2022 presidential election leaves no room for doubt.
On the other hand, it ensures that it keeps “ other social networks where respectful exchange still exists », advocating in passing the use of “ real democracy » to continue to keep the debate alive in France.
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