by By Castle Biron
The @america Twitter account is not what you would expect. With the handle of America, the expectation may be a neutral news source or maybe an account encouraging you to go cast your vote. However, that isn’t close to the truth. The @america account turns out to be a right leaning, anti-democrat account. An account voicing an opinion is something that shouldn’t necessarily be discouraged, but with such a powerful brand it is surprising to see such a volatile account hoisting the @america handle.
This account posts content like absurd edits of Donald Trump saving America and fighting Kamala with a sword, anti immigrant propaganda, anti Kamala propaganda, Elon Musk speeches about stopping immigration, and plenty of other bizarre posts. The account cherry picks the perfect soundbites, quotes and videos to paint a perfect picture to make Elon Musk and Donald Trump look like the saviors of America.
The part of this account that gets tricky is that Elon Musk is the one who founded it. A twitter account that spreads propaganda with the powerful name of America is founded by the current owner of Twitter. This becomes quite a shady situation. Elon Musk exclaimed with his purchase of Twitter that it would be a transparent place for the truth and unfiltered content, however he’s pushing an account that spreads blatant propaganda.
Currently most people gather their news from social media. Social media holds more power than ever when it comes to informing and educating the masses on current events and topics. When accounts like @america exist things can get dangerous. An account spreading disinformation being founded and funded by and the owner of the platform it resides on is a precarious situation.
At this point in time social media has reached a point in which it can have large implications on politics. Social media is quick and easy to digest, and news can spread like wildfire on it. It’s in everyone’s best interest to double check news that is seen on social media, but most people don’t take the time to do so. Because of this the party that is able to create the most entertaining and convincing content online gives themselves an advantage in winning the election.
It’s scary to think about owners of large social media platforms using their power to push the politicians they would like to win. Even though it’s a scary thought it isn’t something that is unrealistic. Because of this it’s important for everyone to fact check what they see online to minimize the power of disinformation.
Interesting article! I have used Twitter, or X, now for a long time and was disappointed to see the new ownership happen. The account like @america is one of many that I have seen that pushes alt-right propaganda and it honestly makes the app annoying to navigate. I agree that this account is harmful and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Good work!
Hi Castle,
This blog post was super informative–I had NO idea about this (and honestly, not surprised). As someone who never got around to using twitter (and has actively avoided it since it became X), I’m disappointed to see the funneling of right-wing propaganda that’s disguised as memes or jokes to appease the younger audience. It’s especially scary when the owner of this platform is now in charge of a government department! It’s weird to see how social media and politics have started to interlace. I wonder what the future will hold…