Andreas Gebhard, a co-founder of the digital conference Republica, commented on the transition of the social media platform Twitter to X following its acquisition by Elon Musk. According to Gebhard, a clear linguistic separation from the successor service is necessary. Cited by the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”, he stated that the name change must be acknowledged because the underlying entity is different. For Gebhard, the name, the owner and their agenda, and the technology have all changed, arguing that X functions as an amplifier for the right-wing echo chamber, meaning “Twitter no longer exists”.
Consequently, the Republica organization has completely ceased using the network, and Gebhard recommends the same action for the public. He argued that users should not feel compelled to be on the platform, nor should they use Donald Trump’s “Truth Social”. Furthermore, he suggested that attempting to counter propaganda on X is a pointless effort, essentially launching a losing battle against bot-operated fake accounts.
Turning to other modern issues, the tech expert addressed child and youth protection and potential social media bans, arguing that solutions require action outside the sphere of parental responsibility. He believes that such decision-making should ultimately come from lawmakers. Currently, technology providers are given too much unrestricted freedom concerning what children do online. While criticizing blanket bans, Gebhard sympathized with clear age restrictions, drawing parallels to those used for films and video games. He insisted that protective mechanisms should be pre-installed on devices rather than being presented solely as parental responsibilities.
Finally, Gebhard advocated for a fundamental shift in digital infrastructure toward open-source solutions, which would mandate moving away from devices like iPads in schools. He praised Schleswig-Holstein, led by Minister-President Daniel Günther (CDU), for setting a positive example by converting its education and administration sectors to open source-operating on the principle of “Public money, public code”. He argued that if public funds are invested in software, the resulting product must benefit the general public, not merely fill the coffers of private corporations. Gebhard questioned the necessity of acquiring iPads for schools, suggesting that while digitalization is necessary, it should not rely on a combination of Chinese hardware and US software.
