Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, things have gotten complicated. Musk vowed that the social media network would become a beacon for “free speech,” but then he promptly fired the staff in charge of moderating the site and getting rid of hate speech. With the guard rails off, the platform has become home to several hate groups and conspiracy theories, which have now gained acceptance on Twitter.
Related: Twitter Places Disney Ads Next to Neo-Nazi Propaganda
With all the rules seemingly off, many of Twitter’s advertising partners grew suspicious of the new rules and platform. More than half of the company’s top advertisers stopped entirely or paused their ads on Twitter.
Things got even more complicated last month when ads for companies like Disney, ESPN, Adobe, and Microsoft appeared next to Neo-Nazi content. Group M, the world’s largest advertising agency, labeled Twitter “high risk” for advertisers citing its concerns over people paying for blue check marks to impersonate high-profile individuals and Twitter’s lack of staff to police the site.
The time it seemed right for someone to challenge Twitter’s dominance, and that someone came in the form of Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg’s Meta launched its Threads app to compete with Twitter, which has been an enormous success. Since Threads began on July 5, more than 90 million people have downloaded the app. It is currently on pace to be the fastest-growing app of all time.
And one of the first companies to join Threads was Disney. The Walt Disney Company opened an account for its Disney Parks Division, in a clear slap in the face to Musk and Twitter. With a multi-national corporation like Disney on board, Zuckerberg now has the clout for other companies to come on board, too, even if Threads is just beginning.
To further complicate Disney’s relationship with Musk, he has cozied up to Disney’s chief political rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for President on Twitter Spaces, which was a complete disaster. Musk supports Florida Governor DeSantis, complicating his relationship with the Walt Disney Company.
Disney joining the new social media platform sends a clear message to Twitter owner Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg has created a place where hate speech will not go hand-in-hand with ads for Disney movies. Threads is off to a good start, but will it be able to stick?
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
