Elon Musk stirred up curiosity on Tuesday when he adopted the username "Kekius Maximus" on X, formerly known as Twitter. The new handle quickly became the talk of his 210 million followers, leading many to speculate about its meaning. Some believe it's a mash-up of an alt-right symbol, a meme coin, and a reference to a famous Roman general in the movie Gladiator. Musk, known for his cryptic posts, did not explain the change, leaving fans and critics alike to wonder about its significance.
Shortly after the update, Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also changed his profile picture to a modified image of "Pepe the Frog" — a popular cartoon character. In this new image, Pepe is dressed in ancient Roman attire and holding a video game joystick. This image choice added fuel to the fire, leading people to search for deeper meanings behind his actions.
The timing was notable as it coincided with a dramatic surge in the value of a memecoin — a type of cryptocurrency inspired by internet memes. The coin, named after Musk's new handle, skyrocketed by 900% after the update. While Musk's involvement in this specific coin is unclear, his past posts have previously impacted the prices of various cryptocurrencies.
This dramatic move led many to wonder whether Musk's username change was simply a joke, or if there was a more serious message behind it. Was this an intentional effort to influence the crypto market, or was it a subtle reference to online hate groups? Some internet users raised concerns over the potential associations with such groups, as Musk's new handle and image seem to reference elements tied to alt-right culture.
"Kek" is a term popular among internet trolls and some far-right groups, often used as a variation of "LOL" (laughing out loud). The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has linked "Kek" to a "virtual white nationalist god," which has raised alarms about the possible implications of Musk's choice. Additionally, Roman symbols have been used by white nationalist groups such as Identity Evropa, which further fuels suspicion.
The character "Pepe the Frog," once a harmless cartoon from the Boy's Club comic series, has also been adopted by far-right communities, particularly during Donald Trump's first presidential campaign. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has even labeled Pepe a "hate symbol" due to its frequent use in racist and anti-Semitic contexts, despite many non-bigoted uses of the character.
The SPLC commented that while manipulators often claim ignorance when using symbols like Pepe or "Kek," these actions could be seen as a way to normalize hate while pretending it's just a joke. They stressed that "Hate is not a joke."
Before switching to "Kekius Maximus," Musk teased his followers with a cryptic post: "Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in hardcore PoE," which many interpreted as a reference to the popular online video game Path of Exile 2. Musk is known to be an avid player of the game, previously calling it a "hall-of-famer" in an earlier post.
The coin linked to Musk's new username surged by 900% shortly after the change, according to data from CoinGecko. It was trading at less than one-fifth of a dollar around 0030 GMT but has since seen significant gains. In the past, Musk has made waves in the crypto world with his social media posts, though it remains unclear whether he had any direct role in the sudden increase in value of this particular memecoin.
Musk's influence on X has grown significantly since he purchased the platform for $44 billion in 2022, and his account has become a hub for both praise and criticism. While some see him as a trailblazer, others argue that his influence can sometimes amplify misinformation and controversy.
Whether Musk's new moniker is just another playful post or something more provocative remains to be seen. However, it's clear that Musk's presence on X continues to have a significant impact, especially in the worlds of cryptocurrency and online culture.
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