Brazilian Users Feel World Disconnected After Social Media Platform X Block

The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil has sparked a divide among users and politicians regarding the ban's legitimacy. Many Brazilians faced challenges and uncertainties navigating other social media platforms in its absence. The shutdown began early Saturday, making the platform largely inaccessible on both web and mobile apps after Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline set by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Brazil is one of the largest markets for X, with tens of millions of users. "I've got the feeling that I have no idea what's happening in the world right now. Bizarre," entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads on Saturday. Threads is a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. "This Threads algorithm is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where the waiter keeps serving things I would never order."

Platform Migration in Brazil

Bluesky, a social media platform launched last year as an alternative to X and other established sites, has seen a significant influx of Brazilian users recently. The company reported on Friday that around 200,000 new users from Brazil signed up within a few days, with the number "continuing to grow by the minute." Brazilian users are also setting records for activities such as follows and likes, Bluesky said.

Previous users of other platforms welcomed Brazilians to their ranks. "Hello literally everyone in Brazil," a user wrote on Threads. "We're a lot nicer than Twitter here," said another. Platform migration isn't new for Brazilians. They were huge adopters of Orkut and, when Orkut went kaput, they very gladly moved to other platforms.

Political Reactions and Legal Implications

De Moraes stated that X would remain suspended until it complies with his orders and imposed a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access it. Some legal experts questioned the grounds for this decision and its enforcement. Others suggested the move was authoritarian.

The Brazilian Bar Association announced on Friday that it would request the Supreme Court review the fines imposed on all citizens using VPNs or other means to access X without due process. The association argued that sanctions should never be imposed summarily before ensuring an adversarial process and the right to full defence.

"I've used VPNs a lot in authoritarian countries like China to continue accessing news sites and social networks," Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said on the platform before its shutdown. "It never occurred to me that this type of tool would be banned in Brazil. It's dystopian."

A search on X showed hundreds of Brazilian users inquiring about VPNs that could potentially enable them to continue using the platform by making it appear they are logging on from outside the country.

Impact on Pop Culture and Public Figures

X is not as popular in Brazil as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. However, it remains an important platform for political debates and is highly influential among politicians, journalists and other opinion makers. It's also where they share their sense of humour. Many of the country's most famous memes originate from posts on X before spreading to other social networks.

Pop stars and their fanbases were also hit by Brazilians being left off the platform. "Wait a lot of my fan pages are Brazilian!!! Come back hold up!!," Cardi B said Friday on X. A fan page dedicated to Timothée Chalamet, known by the handle TimotheeUpdates, said it would temporarily cease updating as all of its administrators are Brazilian.

Political Figures Weigh In

Lawmaker Bia Kicis said "the consequences of Alexandre de Moraes attacks to Elon Musk, X and Starlink will be regrettable for Brazilians." She also urged Rodrigo Pacheco, the president of the country's Senate, to act. Kicis has repeatedly urged Pacheco to open impeachment proceedings against the Supreme Court justice.

"We need to leave this state of apathy and stop the worst from happening," the pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker, whose profiles were temporarily blocked by de Moraes in 2022, also said.

The former president said Saturday on Instagram that X's departure from Brazil was "another blow to our freedom and legal security." "It not only affects our freedom of expression but also undermines the confidence of international companies in operating on Brazilian soil, with impacts ranging from national security to the quality of information that reaches our citizens," Bolsonaro said.

Government Stance

On Friday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva backed de Moraes' decision and criticised Musk for positioning himself as though he was above the law during an interview with Radio MaisPB. "Any citizen, from anywhere in the world, who has investments in Brazil, is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and Brazilian laws," Lula said.

"Therefore, if the Supreme Court has made a decision for citizens to comply with certain things, they either have to comply or take another course of action," Lula added. "It's not because the guy has a lot of money that he can disrespect it."

User Experiences

Ana Júlia Alves de Oliveira, an 18-year-old student, shared that many young people like her no longer watch newscasts or read newspapers, relying solely on social media platforms like X for their news. Without this platform, she felt disconnected.

"I kind of lost touch with what's going on around the world," she said. "I saw a lot of entertainment there too, so this is a new reality for me."