Chaos in Social Media: Between Elon Musk and Pavel Durov

*This public talk will be held in Romanian.

Two decades after Facebook’s launch, social media platforms have evolved from spaces for personal connection into engines of algorithmic influence, surveillance capitalism, and political interference.

From Elon Musk’s radical transformation of Twitter into X to Pavel Durov’s disputes with European governments over Telegram channels in Moldova — these platforms are no longer neutral conduits but active players in spreading or curbing digital chaos.

As identities, interests, and communities collapse into an endless algorithmic stream, users feel both empowered and disoriented — caught between infinite opportunities and ever-growing risks.

In a time when social networks shape elections, economies, and even mental health, we must ask: are these platforms tools of connection or calculated mechanisms of chaos — and what future do they hold for Moldova’s social fabric?