‘Himself?’: Elon Musk is roasted for penalizing ‘negativity’ on Twitter

MAGA billionaire Elon Musk is cracking down on “negativity” on X, and the internet thinks he should delete his own account first.

In a post on X, Musk wrote that site contains “too much negativity” and that he intends to combat it with a new “algorithm tweak.” According to Musk, he’ll be using the new algorithm to “promote more informational/entertaining content” to the internet.

The internet responded with exactly the sort of “entertaining content” he likely hopes to avoid.

“Himself?” wrote a user. Himself indeed. Much of Musk’s X post history consists of trolling or glorifying trolls. “I have to admit trolls are kinda fun” he wrote in a follow-up tweet to a post he made sarcastically apologizing for “turning Twitter from nurturing paradise into a place that has… trolls.” His tweets were prompted by a BBC report that claims that Twitter insiders have been unable to stop the spread of trolling ever since the company was purchased by Musk. Even a cursory glance at Musk’s own Twitter page demonstrates the billionaire’s penchant for sh*tposting – he recently posted an image of Bill Gates which bullied the Microsoft CEO for his weight.

Some users believe that Musk’s attempt to crack down “negativity” will be focused on limiting the amount of criticism that he alone receives. One user reposted a quote from Musk himself which read “I am constantly insulted on this platform” alongside a cartoon of Musk attempting to improve his reputation by desperately throwing cash at a computer screen while repeatedly screaming “LIKE ME.” Users have claimed that Musk has taken drastic measures to eliminate his critics before, and some believe that Musk once deleted X accounts that reposted a video of him getting viciously booed while taking the stage at a Dave Chappelle show.

Another user pointed out a recent tweet where Musk pulled a quote from Tropic Thunder and told his detractors “F*CK YOURSELF IN THE FACE” for challenging him on his stance on H-1B visas. Despite pledging over a quarter billion dollars to a political candidate who ran on a platform of mass deportation, Musk has come under fire from immigration hardliners for supporting the particular visa which allows companies (mostly in the tech circles he moves in) to hire international workers for specific jobs for a limited time.

Another user pointed out the irony that Musk would be censoring free speech despite it being the reason Musk bought the app. Musk has publicly declared himself as “free speech absolutist” and granted “amnesty” to previously banned accounts including those of Donald Trump and conspiracy peddler Alex Jones when he took over Twitter in 2022.

Another user summed up Musk’s response to criticism as “epically juvenile.” As long as Musk is at the helm of X, the platform will likely continue to resemble a middle school playground, full of bullies like himself spreading the very “negativity” he claims he intends to eliminate.