Ricardo Salidas Pliego is a controversial figure. A label that includes his business and finances, as well as the use he gives to his social networks and especially Twitter. The anomalies begin with a profile picture that shows him with his eyes lighting up red as if he was about to shoot lasers through them, and are enhanced with messages that range from picaresque, direct, and offensive. An unusual treatment for a businessman and for one of the richest men in the world, to the extent that on more than one occasion it has been debated whether it is really he who keeps track of him.
Nor does he hide his way of being or thinking, which has resulted in more than one debate. Like when he shared videos of his parties at the most critical points of the pandemic or presumed that he had enough money to take Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to Mazatlan . To this we add his unfortunate use of adjectives that includes “nosy”, “fucked”, “shrill” and “asshole”, being “ungrateful” one of the most controversial and that was addressed to a former employee of Movimiento Azteca who expressed her discontent after having been fired in the midst of a pandemic and after 18 years of service.
This same way of expressing himself has made him a very important figure in the network of 280 characters, where he has about 975 thousand followers. It is not an impressive figure compared to other people, which does not prevent each of his tweets from having thousands of reactions: some of support and others of contempt. Although it is impossible to answer all of them, he does try to do as much as possible, also noting that he never runs away from a confrontation. In fact, he almost seems the opposite: he seeks them out and even enjoys them. It has also put him in the crosshairs of Twitter, which has long sought ways to build a more respectful social network with no room for abuse.
This with the implementation in September 2021 of a security mode that automatically blocks users who send expressions of aggressiveness and hatred towards other people. The affected account is inaccessible for seven days while the verification process is completed. A measure that arises after several years in which the platform seeks to eradicate hostilities without the need for reports from affected users, which in many cases do not occur.
Not satisfied with this, the network has also sought a way to end misinformation about COVID-19. This is what it warns in its help center, where it explains that “content that is demonstrably false or misleading and that could generate a significant risk of harm (such as greater exposure to the virus or adverse effects on public health systems) cannot be share on Twitter. This includes sharing content that may mislead people about the nature of the COVID-19 virus; the efficacy and/or safety of preventive measures, treatments or other precautions to mitigate or treat the disease; official regulations, restrictions or exemptions related to health notices; or the prevalence of the virus or the risk of infection or death associated with COVID-19.” Attitudes that have been perpetrated by the employer on more than one occasion.
Although Twitter did not hesitate to permanently suspend Donald Trump’s account due to the risk of inciting violence, it has been less aggressive with users such as Ricardo Salinas Pliego. The latter may not have the weight of the former US president, but the ownership of Grupo Salinas, which includes financial, media and telecommunications channels, coupled with the fact that he is the third richest man in Mexico, does make him an opinion leader whose action should not be taken lightly. It seems unlikely that the controversial character will change his attitude and it only remains to be seen if the platform remains true to his principles or if he is able to exert them on high-impact individuals.