In the early days, human communication was simple, flowing naturally between individuals and small groups. Messages passed from person to person, building networks that could connect a community but rarely reaching beyond. That all began to change with the invention of the printing press, which allowed information to spread far and wide with unprecedented speed and consistency. A single message could now reach many people at once—news, knowledge, and ideas could be shared on a mass scale, shaping the thoughts and beliefs of entire societies. For the first time, the power to communicate en masse was in the hands of a select few who controlled the presses and, by extension, the flow of information.
As centuries passed, mass communication evolved further, and the rise of radio, television, and eventually the Internet expanded access to information even more. The digital age brought a new dynamic. No longer did information flow solely from a few to the many; the Internet empowered individuals to share their thoughts with vast audiences. Social networking platforms emerged, allowing for genuine two-way communication on a large scale. The world had never seen anything like it: anyone with an Internet connection could become both a consumer and a creator of information. This era of “many-to-many” communication promised a revolution in how people connected and shared ideas.
However, as these social platforms grew in influence, they attracted new forms of control. Enter powerful figures—visionary entrepreneurs, billionaires, and media moguls—who began to acquire these platforms and, along with them, significant power over the flow of information. They promised freedom and openness but often wielded influence to steer public discourse in specific directions. Such was the case with X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, where discussions had once flourished across political, social, and cultural lines. Once purchased by Elon Musk, a man with both vast resources and strong ideological convictions, the platform’s atmosphere began to change.
Initially, many celebrated Musk’s promise of “free speech absolutism.” However, over time, the site became a breeding ground for far-right conspiracy theories, racism, and other disturbing content that began to color the platform’s reputation. The shift alarmed various groups, from anti-hate organizations to major media outlets. Among them was The Guardian, a respected news organization that had long used the platform to share its journalism with the world.
Over the years, The Guardian had grown uncomfortable with the direction X was taking. The site’s handling of the U.S. presidential election coverage, full of polarization and extremism, ultimately tipped the balance. The Guardian announced it would withdraw from X, explaining that the negative content and the influence exerted by the platform’s owner outweighed any benefits of staying. Their decision highlighted a painful irony: X, once a tool for empowering individual voices, had circled back to a model resembling mass communication of old, with the flow of information largely reflecting the priorities of one powerful figure.
Even in the age of digital communication, it seemed, the voice of the few could still shape the beliefs of the many.
All names of people and organizations appearing in this story are pseudonyms.
Guardian will no longer post on Elon Musk’s X from its official accounts
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