Musk: The Impact of Fame

By: Pranavsai Gandikota

Multimedia Content Analysis #1

Elon Musk is a name almost everyone has heard of. Known as an innovative, visionary billionaire, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2021, and one of the most renowned entrepreneurs, and founder of companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink, Musk's influence has gone beyond just technology.

Now with such fame comes power and influence. Even a few words from such celebrities can lead to shifts in awareness and public opinions on different matters. Perhaps it's this identity of his that makes his words have higher of an impact than any other individual who is to say the same.

The Power of a Post By Musk

With the elections approaching closer, and Donald Trump and Kamala Harris now contesting against each other as major candidates, a recent post by Elon has sparked many people to share their opinions on the spread of misinformation. Musk’s recent statement—"Propaganda isn’t just about creating fake news. It’s also about hiding real news"— led to a wave of reactions. In the comments, people have actively debated on the use of misleading statements in the speeches given by both the candidates. Some started to criticize the politicians, while others started to defend them.

Elon Musk has released multiple posts on his platform quite similar to such statements such as the quote above ("Censorship is the child of fear, the father of ignorance and the weapon of tyrants"). From the phrase, Musk suggests that censorship is brought about due to the fear of losing authority. And this, leads to ignorance. By restricting such information, people become uninformed, limiting their ability to make decisions independently and truly exercise their right to free speech. Musk argues that social platforms such as X should be places of free thought expression. A supporter of Musk has posted a meme in support of the idea that X is a place of unfiltered posting, but many users have begged to disagree.

Musk's Unique Way of Communication

The multibillionaire's use of simple statements but ones that are quite controversial is his way of communication. The usage of direct quotes or the posting of different memes and other posts with different visual and text elements has quite an impact on the people as well. One example of such a post is the one shown before. Many followers have replied to his posts with statements or memes to share their opinions on what he says. This form of communication has turned an ordinary quote into a active discussion, reaching a larger audience.

Musk as a Political Influencer

Elon plays a big role in how his messages are received. His status gives him a level of authority that others don't have. On one hand, his identity as an innovator gives credibility to his words on technology and society. But, on the other hand, his involvement in commentary on politics has brought about questions on how his power and influence might change the perceptions of the public.

According to CNN, in an analysis by Clare Duffy, after Twitter turned into X, Elon started to use his power to "sway the outcome" of the upcoming elections. As people state, "he is attempting to foster X into a pro-Trump machine". With the increase of his campaigning for Trump, there might be an indirect influence on the political views of the vast majority of followers he has. This brings us to the question of how the platform might actually be changing political outcomes to some extent.

Conclusion: The Impact of Identity

Musk's identity as one of the biggest influencers in the technology industry, his money and fame have all been important in making even an ordinary post as the one above be quite impactful. It is these kinds of posts that create more awareness on current issues, especially since his celebrity status ensures that his messages reach millions. While the post may be as simple as a quote, or a statement, they have significant impacts on the thoughts of daily users of the platform.