In the hours following Elon Musk’s announcement to companies that they should “go to hell” due to their withdrawal of ads from the right-wing platform over fears of anti-Semitism – and after he criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger by name – a group of right-wing users on the social media platform called for canceling their subscriptions to Disney Plus.
Calls to Cancel Disney Plus Subscriptions
Several right-wing accounts on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, urged subscribers to Disney Plus to cancel their subscriptions, with the account “End of Woke” posting instructions to unsubscribe with the comment: “Stop giving money to those who hate you.”
Disney’s Decision to Halt Ads on the Right
These calls come after Disney’s decision earlier this month to suspend its ads on the social media platform, joining an increasing list of companies including Apple, IBM, Lionsgate, and Xfinity, following a harsh report revealing ads on the platform next to posts containing Nazi symbols, after Musk endorsed a widely criticized post for anti-Semitism.
The Cost of Disney’s Decision to Halt Ads on the Right
The cost of Disney’s decision to stop advertising on the right-wing platform could amount to millions of dollars, while calls from right-wing users to boycott Disney Plus would need to reach many of the 146 million subscribers (as of August) to have a comparable impact.
Musk and Iger’s Remarks at the New York Times Summit
In his speech at the New York Times Business Summit on Wednesday, Musk accused companies that left the platform of “extorting” him for money and told them improperly to “go to hell,” greeting Iger in the crowd by saying, “Hello Bob.”
For his part, Iger also stated at the summit that he respects Musk greatly and what he has accomplished, but disagreed with Musk’s endorsement of the post on the platform, saying: “By taking a stance in such a public way, we felt that the association between this stance and Elon Musk and the right is not necessarily positive for us.”
The Cost of Losing Ads on the Right
According to a New York Times report, the platform could lose up to $75 million in ad revenue due to the withdrawal of more than twenty companies, including Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Disney, IBM, Microsoft, and Xfinity.
Main Background
IBM became one of the first prominent companies to suspend its ads on the platform this month after a report from the left-wing watchdog “Media Matters for America” found ads from the company – along with Apple, Oracle, and Xfinity – placed near neo-Nazi posts and posts praising Adolf Hitler. Musk claimed that the organization is striving to achieve this outcome, asserting that the result represents a completely different experience than that of the average user. X Corp subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters. Musk also faced criticism after sharing a post on the platform where a user claimed that “Jewish communities were promoting the same kind of controversial hatred against whites that they claim they want people to stop using against them,” a argument Musk described as “the actual truth.” The White House also condemned this post, issuing a statement describing these claims as “a vile promotion of racial hatred and bigotry.” Musk apologized on Wednesday for the post, acknowledging it was “one of the stupidest things, if not the stupidest, that I have done” on the platform.
The Big Number
$7.2 billion. This is the amount Disney spent on advertising in the fiscal year 2022, exceeding its advertising budget in 2021 ($5.5 billion) and 2020 ($4.7 billion).
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Others
Disney has become the latest major company to provoke outrage from right-wing critics online. Earlier this year, Bud Light faced significant backlash from right-wing figures, including analysts Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro, after the beer brand launched a partnership with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. Chick-fil-A also faced criticism after online right-wing circles expressed their anger at its hiring of a diversity and inclusion manager in 2021, while Adidas was criticized from the right for a marketing campaign that included inclusive swimwear for transgender individuals. Target also encountered right-wing backlash online over its pride product line. Target responded to the criticism by removing items from that line in late May, just one week before Pride Month began, claiming in a statement that the threats and criticisms it received regarding the products were “affecting the sense of safety and well-being among our team members,” although this move faced backlash from LGBTQ circles due to accusations that the company was capitulating to right-wing criticism.
Additional Reading
Elon Musk says advertisers that have left X shouldn’t come back
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