During an event called the New York Times' DealBook Summit, Musk expressed his dislike for advertisers trying to blackmail him with their money. He made it clear that he didn't want these companies to advertise on X and told them to "go [expletive] yourself." He directed his comments at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had spoken at the summit earlier. Musk also said that the advertising boycott could lead to the end of X, and he promised to document the advertisers' role in killing the company.

X's CEO, Linda Yaccarino, was at the event and later shared Musk's interview and her thoughts on advertising. She emphasized that X is a place where free speech and mainstream culture meet, and that the X community is strong and welcoming. It's unclear how effective Musk's comments will be in convincing advertisers to come back to the platform, as many had already decided to spend their advertising money elsewhere.

This controversy isn't the first for Musk and X. In the past, Musk supported an antisemitic conspiracy theory, for which he apologized. However, the boycott isn't only about that incident. Advertisers were already moving away from X, and the platform had seen a big drop in ad revenue. A report by Media Matters, a group that pushes for liberal causes, claimed to have found evidence of ads being placed next to Nazi content on X. In response, X sued Media Matters, accusing them of misrepresenting the platform's user experience and undermining freedom of speech.

Overall, Musk's comments have gotten a lot of attention, but it's unclear if they will actually bring advertisers back to X. The platform relies heavily on ad revenue, and its financial situation is currently unclear since it's now a private company and doesn't publish quarterly reports anymore. However, before Musk took over, advertising made up about 90% of Twitter's revenue.

Original news source: Elon Musk says advertising boycott will kill X (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They then take turns sharing their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: In small groups, students discuss their opinions on the controversy surrounding Elon Musk's comments and the advertising boycott on X. They should try to present well-reasoned arguments and listen to and respect differing viewpoints.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns drawing pictures to represent vocabulary words from the article. Their partner has to guess the word based on the drawing. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and comprehension skills.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In small groups, students discuss the pros and cons of advertising on social media platforms like X. They should consider both the potential benefits and drawbacks, and try to reach a consensus on whether they think the advertising boycott was justified.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns making predictions about the future of X and the advertising industry. They should base their predictions on the information provided in the article and their own observations and insights. After making their predictions, they can share them with the class and discuss their reasoning.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, recently ? a stir by using strong language to criticize advertisers who have ? using the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). Musk accused these companies of ? to blackmail him and warned that their actions could destroy the platform. Some firms stopped advertising on X because they were concerned about antisemitism, including a post from Musk himself. Although Musk apologized for the post, it was his ? to the advertising boycott that caused controversy. During an event called the New York Times' DealBook Summit, Musk expressed his dislike for advertisers trying to blackmail him with their money. He made it clear that he didn't want these ? to advertise on X and told them to "go [expletive] yourself." He directed his ? at Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had spoken at the summit earlier. Musk also said that the advertising boycott could lead to the end of X, and he ? to document the advertisers' role in killing the company. X's CEO, Linda ?, was at the event and later shared Musk's interview and her thoughts on advertising. She emphasized that X is a place where free speech and mainstream culture meet, and that the X community is ? and ?. It's unclear how effective Musk's comments will be in convincing advertisers to come back to the platform, as many had already ? to spend their advertising money elsewhere. This controversy isn't the first for Musk and X. In the past, Musk supported an antisemitic conspiracy theory, for which he apologized. However, the ? isn't only about that incident. Advertisers were already moving away from X, and the platform had seen a big drop in ad revenue. A report by Media Matters, a group that pushes for liberal causes, claimed to have found evidence of ads being ? next to Nazi content on X. In response, X sued Media Matters, accusing them of ? the platform's user experience and undermining freedom of speech. Overall, Musk's comments have gotten a lot of attention, but it's unclear if they will actually bring ? back to X. The platform relies heavily on ad ?, and its financial situation is currently unclear since it's now a private company and doesn't publish quarterly reports anymore. However, before Musk took over, advertising made up about 90% of Twitter's revenue.

1. What is an advertising boycott and why do you think companies do it?
2. How would you feel if someone used strong language to criticize you? Why or why not?
3. Do you think it's fair for companies to stop advertising on a platform if they disagree with its content? Why or why not?
4. What is antisemitism and why is it a concern on social media platforms?
5. How do you think the advertising boycott could affect the future of X? Why?
6. Do you agree with Elon Musk's response to the advertising boycott? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about the CEO of X's statement that the platform is a place where free speech and mainstream culture meet? Why?
8. How do you think advertisers decide where to spend their advertising money? Why?
9. What do you think about the claims of ads being placed next to Nazi content on X? Why?
10. How do you think the controversy surrounding Elon Musk's comments will affect X's reputation? Why?
11. Do you think it's important for social media platforms to prioritize freedom of speech? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the financial situation of X being a private company affects its future? Why?
13. What do you think about the fact that advertising made up about 90% of Twitter's revenue before Elon Musk took over? Why?
14. Do you think the advertising boycott will have a long-term impact on X? Why or why not?
15. How do you think social media platforms can address concerns about hate speech and offensive content? Why?

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