Martin Vetterli’s Post

Martin Vetterli The feelings for X (and its owner) are understandable. But is LinkedIn any different? Beyond ownership, it, too, operates under opaque algorithms that promote or demote content based on hidden criteria, leaving users unable to understand the biases at play. Money also influences reach, but the worse is that the true mechanics remain unseen. Provocative thought ahead ➡ Drawing from ancient Greek thoughts (think about Thucydides) a clear, opinionated stance - is more transparent than the supposed neutrality of social networks like X or LinkedIn. An openly opinionated press, even with bias, is easier to interpret and scrutinize because we can see where it stands. In contrast, the 'neutrality' on these platforms (all of them) is opaque, concealing biases we can't fully grasp. And making it easier to swallow with nice pictures of cats 😎 Isn't it just better a model where biases are clear and out in the open?

Martin Vetterli which rules on X have changed because of money? And how come it’s not the case on LinkedIn?

While I wholeheartedly agree with your move to leave Twitter, I would quibble with the notion that its changes are governed by "financial interests." Indeed, those changes led the company to lose most of its revenue and relevance. Let's call it as it is: those changes are ideological, and no one should have to justify their leaving a platform whose owner openly embraces fascism.

In the current political climate, 50% of posts on X are filled with bickering and hate-mongering, which is insufferable. However, the other 50% is extremely valuable to me personally, mainly due to the deeply engaged machine learning & open source communities spanning academic & industrial labs. X facilitates quick insights and fosters those peer-to-peer interactions that don’t translate to formal papers. It’s often where I catch invaluable snippets—tricks, and micro-updates from other researchers—that I used to only get during less frequent face-to-face conversations. I tried moving to Mastodon when Elon took over, but platforms like it haven't replicated that dynamic; the community feels too dispersed. Communities are hard to build, and their organic nature makes them hard to control. LinkedIn doesn’t capture that quick, collaborative energy either. It’s optimized for professional networking but inundated with cold outreach from recruiters and marketers. Meaningful exchanges are rare. If I had a magic wand, it would be to create a space where the tech community could continue to share and evolve ideas without the noise. Either by muting vitriol and creating a similar space with same information exchange and collaboration.

X under the new leadership is more open, democratic and transparent. For example, instead of an opaque process to get a blue check mark, now it can just be bought for a small fee. Also the algorithms have been published and adjusted to correct a widely perceived bias to the left. Discussion is more robust, with opinions not being suppressed, but community-notes. What rule changes specifically are you objecting to? Or are you just upset that view points which you disagree with are now more openly discussable on the platform?

Congrats on the move away from X! Dutch Universities have set up Mastodon instances (decentralized social media) and encouraged their researchers to move to them. By controlling their instances, they can also ensure they control the open distribution of their researcher's publications (X posts no longer being available to signed-out visitors). https://www.surf.nl/en/about-the-mastodon-pilot Would love to see EPFL host an instance too :)

Martin Vetterli, you are free to follow your political preferences and move to a platform (LinkedIn, Facebook, You Tube) that doesn't like conservative thought to pass or alight at their curated platforms. X is a far more open platform AFTER Musk took it over. Among other sharing, X encourages sharing of garden-variety and obnoxious commentary from both sides of the political spectrum. As the actual case is, liberal thinking is taking a beating and as a result of unable to take an intellectual drubbing, many lefties prefer griping in left-only curated platforms. Social media has made people more narrow-minded, forcing them to operate within their own bubbles. Remaining on X, a wide-open platform for ALL trains of thought, is an anathema for those who do not wish to stray from their comfort zones. In all of this, people forget that platforms like X allow collaboration, beyond just political POVS. We need to move beyond political POVs to achieve greater innovation. If you think LinkedIn is a great platform for tech collaboration, then give it a shot by all means. In the very recent past, it was de rigor to host diametrically opposed POVs to reach sound decisions. Social media has made us very tribal. We need to rise above that.

i am not sure Arab Spring should be used as a successful example. Why do you think Europe is having a huge migratant crisis? i saw so many refuges from Libya and Syria on the street of Paris, it was and still is a disaster.

Dear Mr Vetterli, I have taken the same course of action and have deleted my Twitter / X account. To answer Maxime Gabella who also commented on your post: the suppression of filtering content has made this platform an echo chamber for the worst kind of human expression. Democracy deserves a serene debate.

Is there still a belief that the Arab spring is a form of democracy? Or do we still believe that Twitter or X or any other platform really advocates democracy and Human Rights? Let's rethink the apparent purpose of these platforms when it comes to politics and economy!