Brazil Suspends Social Media Platform X

The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has been blocked in Brazil, causing significant disruption for its millions of users. The ban was enacted after Musk failed to appoint a legal representative in Brazil by a deadline set by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, escalating an ongoing dispute over issues of free speech and misinformation. Many Brazilians reported feeling disconnected and turned to alternative platforms like Threads and Bluesky, which have seen a surge in new users, with Bluesky gaining approximately 200,000 new Brazilian accounts within days. Users expressed confusion and frustration about navigating social media without X, with notable commentary on the differing algorithms of these new platforms. Historically, Brazilians have shown a readiness to migrate to new social media platforms, as seen with the transition from Orkut to others. Despite X's decline in popularity compared to Facebook and Instagram, it remains an important venue for political discourse in Brazil.