Original Source: www.euronews.com
In a bold departure, the Berlin International Film Festival is set to sever ties with Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, by year-end 2024. After a 15-year relationship, the festival, now boasting 133.5K followers, will step away, marking the 75th edition scheduled for February 13-24, 2025, without an official presence on the platform. In their farewell message, they urged followers to connect through other channels like Instagram and YouTube, gracefully bidding adieu to X while expressing gratitude for the years spent together.
The Berlin International Film Festival is a renowned cultural institution, often at the forefront of progressive values in Europe. Following a notable increase in disinformation and hateful content since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022, the festival’s decision to leave X appears aligned with its ethos. The growing unrest within digital spaces, influenced by Musk’s endorsements of far-right sentiments and his political affiliations, has prompted a reevaluation of engagement strategies for many cultural entities, not just Berlinale.
The choice of the Berlin International Film Festival to exit X underscores a significant moment in the evolving narrative of social media ethics among esteemed cultural platforms. By prioritizing its mission against rising disinformation and harmful rhetoric, Berlinale joins a chorus of voices advocating for responsible online communities. While it may diverge from some of its European counterparts, this move potentially reaffirms its cultural integrity ahead of what promises to be a landmark festival in 2025.
