The Changing Political Function of Elon Musk’s Misleading Tweets Before and After Gaining Power

This thesis investigates how the political function of Elon Musk’s misleading tweets differed before and after the 2024 U.S. election, focusing specifically on the month preceding the election and the month following Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). By analyzing 212 tweets through critical discourse analysis, the research uncovers a clear rhetorical shift directly linked to Musk’s transition from an elite outsider to an institutional insider. It argues that pre-election tweets predominantly featured ambiguous narratives aimed at undermining institutional legitimacy, casting doubt on democratic processes, and mobilizing political dissent. However, post-inauguration, Musk’s misleading tweets adopted a more assertive tone, explicitly reinforcing governmental authority, normalizing controversial policy actions, and shielding his administration from criticism, marking a shift in the political function of his misleading tweets. Using agenda...Show moreThis thesis investigates how the political function of Elon Musk’s misleading tweets differed before and after the 2024 U.S. election, focusing specifically on the month preceding the election and the month following Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). By analyzing 212 tweets through critical discourse analysis, the research uncovers a clear rhetorical shift directly linked to Musk’s transition from an elite outsider to an institutional insider. It argues that pre-election tweets predominantly featured ambiguous narratives aimed at undermining institutional legitimacy, casting doubt on democratic processes, and mobilizing political dissent. However, post-inauguration, Musk’s misleading tweets adopted a more assertive tone, explicitly reinforcing governmental authority, normalizing controversial policy actions, and shielding his administration from criticism, marking a shift in the political function of his misleading tweets. Using agenda-setting theory, framing theory, and elite influence literature, the study situates Musk’s rhetorical evolution within his dual position as content producer and platform owner, highlighting how this convergence of roles shaped the context in which his misleading discourse evolved. Crucially, this research contributes to disinformation studies by empirically demonstrating how elite-driven misleading discourse concretely evolves when transitioning from an outsider to an insider position, highlighting that gaining institutional power actively reshapes misinformation into a governance mechanism. The thesis concludes that, in Musk’s case, misleading tweets functioned not merely as propaganda but as strategic tools of institutional governance.Show less

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The Changing Political Function of Elon Musk’s Misleading Tweets Before and After Gaining Power