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02-01-2025
NEW YORK: The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has sparked speculation after changing his name on his social media platform X to “Kekius Maximus”.
The tech mogul and close confidant of US President-Elect Donald Trump offered no immediate explanation for the name or his new profile image which depicts the character Pepe the Frog, a meme that has been used by far-right groups.
The move has sent ripples through the cryptocurrency world, sending the value of a memecoin, a digital currency inspired by internet memes that shares the same name skyrocketing.
In the past, Musk has influenced crypto prices with his social media commentary, but it was not immediately clear if he had any involvement in this particular memecoin.
“Kekius” appears to be a Latinisation of “kek”, a word roughly equivalent to “laugh out loud” popularized by gamers but now often associated with the alt right.
“Kek” is also the name of the ancient Egyptian god of darkness, who is sometimes depicted with the head of a frog.
Many people would link “Maximus” to the name of Russell Crowe’s heroic character in the film Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Musk’s new profile image depicts Pepe in Roman military dress holding what appears to be a game console.
Billionaire Elon Musk has hailed Twitter as a bastion for freedom of expression ever since he acquired the social media site two years ago but over the course of 2024, X, as it is now called, has evolved from what felt like a communal town square into a polarized hub where views and posts seem even more controversial.
Certain profiles that have shared misleading takes on politics and the news, some of which have been accused of triggering hate, have recently shot to prominence.
All of this matters because X might not have as many users as some other major social media sites, but it does seem to have a significant impact on political discussions. Not only is it a place where certain high-profile politicians, governments and police forces share statements and views – but now its owner Musk has directly aligned himself with Donald Trump, a relationship that could redefine how the bosses of other social media giants deal with the next US President.
So, what’s behind this new wave of change? Has there been a shift in the demographic of people using X over the last year or could it be the result of deliberate decisions made by those in charge?
Rise of the Twitter ‘media’
Two months ago, Inevitable West didn’t exist on X. Now the profile, which calls itself a “Defender of Western values and culture”, has amassed 131,600 followers (a number that is rapidly growing). It is racking up around 30 million views each day collectively among all of its posts, according to its creator. Musk has even responded to Inevitable West’s posts on X.
Their recent posts, which often feature news alert-style captions, include a faked video showing Trump telling the British Prime Minister he is going to “invade your country and make Britain Great Again”.
There have also been several posts in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, as well as some debunked claims about the farmer’s protests in the UK and a knife attack in Southport, in which three children were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.
Inevitable West denies accusations of pushing disinformation and inciting abuse or violence. “The purpose of my X account is to be the voice for the silent majority of the Western world,” its creator told me. They refused to share their identity with me when we corresponded, but claim to be “Gen Z” and “not Russian”. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
