Ciarán O’Connor on Musk and Zelenskyy’s Twitter “tussle”

ISD Senior Analyst, Ciarán O’Connor, wrote an op-ed for the Irish Examiner analysing Elon Musk’s and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “master” use of social media. Musk used his account to poll his followers on a path to peace for Ukraine, suggesting the country should “remain neutral” and pushing pro-Russian stances. Zelenskyy responded with him own poll asking Twitter if they preferred a pro-Ukraine or a pro-Russia Musk.

“Zelenskyy’s response […] demonstrated once again how his use of social media has been clever, measured and innovative at all turns since the beginning of the invasion. The incident provides a useful backdrop to explore how Ukraine’s president has used online platforms to win hearts and minds at home and abroad, and why so many now regard him as an expert in contemporary political and wartime communication,” Ciarán writes.

The full article is available here.