Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), known for her progressive views, has consistently shown a strong affinity for Twitter. Throughout her tenure, she has utilized the platform to criticize conservatives and rally her followers. However, there is speculation that she may consider stepping back from Twitter due to her recent struggle in an online disagreement with Elon Musk, the platform’s new owner.
On May 30th, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) expressed her dissatisfaction through a tweet, alleging that Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, had interacted with a satirical account that ridicules her, resulting in increased visibility for the account. The left-leaning congresswoman argued that the account was pretending to be her, despite the fact that it had clearly identified itself as a parody, adhering to Twitter’s guidelines.
Specifically, AOC’s concern stemmed from a tweet posted by the parody account named “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)” on May 28th. The tweet read, “This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk.” Musk responded with a fire emoji, a rather innocuous gesture. However, given Musk’s vast following of 141.8 million users, the parody account’s tweet garnered significant attention with 26 million views. Following Musk’s reply, the parody account’s followers skyrocketed from around 70,000 to 399,800.
AOC’s displeasure can be described as an understatement. In her tweet, she hinted at the possibility of leaving Twitter, stating, “I am assessing with my team how to move forward.” This implied a warning that she may abandon the platform if it continues to allow parodies of her. This recent incident is not the first time she has clashed with Elon Musk online. Last November, Musk eliminated Twitter’s controversial blue-checkmark verification system, replacing it with an $8 subscription fee that enabled users to write longer tweets. AOC, who seemingly disliked losing her special status, voiced her dissatisfaction with the new system. Musk responded by saying, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.” However, AOC has not paid the fee, while the parody account has.
Adding insult to injury, the parody account responded to AOC’s complaint by tweeting, “I’m having my staff report every single tweet that makes fun of me to the DOJ.” AOC has not yet addressed this statement, perhaps indicating a newfound sense of self-preservation.
