BERLIN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Germany's foreign and defense ministries announced on Wednesday that they would shift their public communication focus away from Elon Musk's X, with the defense department expressing increasing dissatisfaction with developments on the social media platform.
Musk has faced accusations of interfering in politics, as his recent interventions since September have included calling on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign, referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an "incompetent fool," and endorsing far-right Alternative for Germany party.
As the world's wealthiest individual, Musk has suggested in his posts that he is criticizing certain trends, such as immigration, which he perceives as threats to the future of the countries involved.
Although neither German ministry explicitly referenced Musk's interventions, which most recently included a chat on X with AfD leader Alice Weidel, as a factor for their decision to alter their strategy.
"We have become increasingly dissatisfied with the developments there," a defense ministry spokesperson stated during a routine press briefing.
The ministry indicated that it may still counter disinformation on X, but planned to utilize Meta's WhatsApp messenger for their social communications.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry mentioned that they consistently track the platforms they engage with and the related discussions, leading to their choice to amplify their presence on the emerging platform BlueSky.
X has reported an increase in user numbers following Musk's acquisition of the platform, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022, although surveys and reports by research organizations have shown the opposite.
In recent weeks, a growing number of German entities and research institutions have exited the platform.
The departure of institutions could potentially pose a more substantial challenge to social networks than that of individual users since they contribute authenticated information that enhances the "network effects," which make a platform appealing as a venue for dialogue.