Hate speech on X increased by 50 percent since Elon Musk's acquisition, according to Daniel Hickey's study.
Los Ángeles Press
Washington – A new study from the University of California reveals that hate speech on the social media platform X increased by approximately 50%, and bot accounts did not decrease after Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022.
The research, conducted by Daniel Hickey of the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues, examined data from January 1, 2022, to June 9, 2023. The findings, published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on February 12, show that the rise in hate speech continued to trend upwards until May 2023, peaking during that period.
The study found that the average number of hate speech posts on X increased from 2,179 weekly posts before Musk’s purchase to 3,246 after, marking a 50% rise. Additionally, the research pointed out that activity on the platform grew by 8%, ruling out an influx of new users and suggesting that the content on the platform shifted toward more hostile tones.
However, the researchers noted that the rise in hate speech began before Musk’s acquisition.
A Purchase "for the Future of Civilization"
On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk completed the $44 billion purchase of Twitter, which was rebranded to X. Musk stated that he was making the purchase “for the future of civilization.” Upon taking ownership, Musk acknowledged the risks of social media increasing polarization and emphasized that platforms should not become “a free-for-all hellscape” but should respect the law.
Despite these intentions, the study indicates that Musk has not achieved the goal he set for the platform. Since taking control, there has been an uptick in homophobic, transphobic, and racist slurs.
One of the most significant incidents that fueled hate speech on X was the Bud Light advertising campaign featuring transgender activist and actress Dylan Mulvaney. This campaign sparked a far-right boycott movement, with the platform playing a key role in amplifying hateful messages.
Homophobic and Racist Attacks Dominate
Although attacks against trans people increased during this period, they did not surpass homophobic and racist slurs, which were already prevalent before Musk's arrival and also grew during his tenure.
The study also found that 37% of hate messages were replies to other comments, 36% were new posts, 19% were reposts, and 7% were quoted content.
Regarding bot accounts, the research did not observe a decrease in their activity; in fact, it noted an increase in accounts promoting cryptocurrency.
Changes and Consequences
The researchers pointed to the dissolution of the Trust and Safety Advisory Council, which provided guidance on content moderation, and the migration of some users to other platforms as factors that may have contributed to X’s current trajectory.
“The prevalence of online hate is linked to offline hate crimes. Hate victims often report diminished psychological well-being,” the researchers warned, highlighting the need for greater attention to the growing issue of online hate and its real-world consequences.
Abstract
Numerous studies have reported an increase in hate speech on X (formerly Twitter) in the months immediately following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform on October 27th, 2022; relatedly, despite Musk’s pledge to “defeat the spam bots,” a recent study reported no substantial change in the concentration of inauthentic accounts. However, it is not known whether any of these trends endured. We address this by examining material posted on X from the beginning of 2022 through June 2023, the period that includes Musk’s full tenure as CEO. We find that the increase in hate speech just before Musk bought X persisted until at least May of 2023, with the weekly rate of hate speech being approximately 50% higher than the months preceding his purchase, although this increase cannot be directly attributed to any policy at X. The increase is seen across multiple dimensions of hate, including racism, homophobia, and transphobia. Moreover, there is a doubling of hate post “likes,” indicating increased engagement with hate posts. In addition to measuring hate speech, we also measure the presence of inauthentic accounts on the platform; these accounts are often used in spam and malicious information campaigns. We find no reduction (and a possible increase) in activity by these users after Musk purchased X, which could point to further negative outcomes, such as the potential for scams, interference in elections, or harm to public health campaigns. Overall, the long-term increase in hate speech, and the prevalence of potentially inauthentic accounts, are concerning, as these factors can undermine safe and democratic online environments and increase the risk of offline harms.