It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the socialist bartender in the Bronx who now sits in Congress, but U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wants you to know that she may soon depart from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Ocasio-Cortez was asked about this during an interview with The New York Times, with the newspaper stating that she has been “extremely effective at using social media” before noting that there has been “a real backlash to social media.”
“Well, I do think that our media environment, including our social media environment, has changed dramatically over the last five years,” the self-described socialist said. “Elon Musk taking over Twitter has dramatically changed the media environment. You’ve had this mass exodus from the platform. It’s become much more difficult for me, myself, to use. And that I think is reflected in my presence on some of these platforms.”
When asked what would make her leave X, AOC said, “If one monitors my use of that platform, it has fallen precipitously. I think what would constitute a formal break is something that we actively discuss, whether it would require an event or if it’s just something that may one day happen.”
The Democratic lawmaker did acknowledge leaving the platform is “not something to be taken lightly,” considering she has 13.2 million followers. At the same time, Ocasio-Cortez said she “struggled” with the idea that her participation on X could be supporting Musk’s platform.
“I’ve certainly pulled back on my activity on the platform due to these concerns, and I do wrestle with that,” she said.
“Something that I’ve been focusing on a lot more is building audiences in alternative places. But, even now, when there are extraordinary events that happen, like natural disasters in the state of New York, I do think it’s important to be able to have access to a messaging platform that people may trust,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “But it’s uncomfortable. We’ve seen the media take different approaches to this — the differences between NPR or The Washington Post or whatever it may be, contending with these same questions.”
AOC clashed with Musk last month over Twitter Safety claiming “more than 99% of content users and advertisers see on Twitter is healthy.”
Methinks somebody doth protest too much …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2023
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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