The owner of one of the largest social media platforms in the world shared his recent criticism of a competing platform. Could the comments put people off the competing platform or make them avoid social media altogether?
What happened: One of the biggest news stories of 2022 for the financial world was Twitter’s $44 billion purchase Tesla chairman Elon Musk.
Musk has been a fan of Twitter for years, using the platform as his social media channel of choice to share his thoughts, memes, as well as important updates and comments from Tesla and SpaceX.
One platform Musk wasn’t a fan of is Instagram, a photo and video-based social media platform owned by meta platforms META.
“Instagram makes you depressed and Twitter makes you angry. Which is better?” Musk recently tweeted.
Musk’s comments sparked a huge reaction from his large following.
One user replied, “LinkedIn makes people depressed, not Insta.” Musk responded to the comment with a fire emoji.
Twitter user @WallStreetSilv replied, “Twitter doesn’t make me angry. It makes me laugh all day long.”
Musk replied that Twitter often makes him laugh.
Dogecoins DOGE/USD co-founder Bill Markus replied, “Instagram is for narcissists, Reddit is for assimilation into the crush minds of idiots, Facebook is for old folks, Twitter is for insane masochists.”
Related Link: Elon Musk’s reasons for buying Twitter: “I didn’t do it to make money, I did it to try to help humanity.”
Why it matters: Musk’s comments on Instagram weren’t his first attacks on the social media platform.
In 2018, Musk said that Instagram could be a place where “people look like they have a much better life tan than they really have” while appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Musk said people can appear better looking and happier on Instagram “than they really are.”
During an interview with the Tesla Silicon Valley Owner’s Club in 2022, Musk expressed his dislike for both Instagram and Facebook. Musk removed company pages for both Tesla and SpaceX on Facebook.
“This is not a political statement and I didn’t do it because someone dared me to do it. Just don’t like Facebook. give me the willies I’m sorry,” Musk said previously.
Musk admitted during the interview that he has a secret Instagram account, also known as “Finsta.”
Musk said he previously had a public Instagram account but took a lot of selfies as a result.
“Instagram, man — it’s a thirst trap, you know,” Musk said.
Musk said he wondered why he was taking so many selfies and checking for likes on Instagram.
Instead, Musk prefers Twitter, where he can deliver “any message I’m trying to convey.”
“I just need a means of communication.”
Musk has also been on Twitter recently answered to a post showing a 2021 study that found people’s social circles have shrunk significantly over the past 30 years, which may be due to the rise of social media.
“Maybe we should spend less time on social media,” Musk replied to the post. Musk’s comment drew many reactions, including those questioning the comments of Twitter’s new owner and CEO.
“You just spent $44 on a social media company, maybe a few years before you take that stance,” responded user StockTalkWeekly.
The last word: Musk’s latest comments on Instagram could create distance between multiple social media platforms and also result in fans of Musk and Tesla spending less time on Instagram and more time on Twitter.
Read on: If you had invested $1,000 when Elon Musk said Tesla stock price was too high, here’s how much you would have now
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