Twitter’s acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk last year and its rebranding as X has led many to wonder if the platform has become more dominated by more right-wing voices. While concrete data is still emerging, there are signs that the site may be shifting in a more conservative direction.
Some figures indicate an increase in right-leaning users and content since Musk took over Twitter. A recent report from the left-leaning think tank Center for Countering Digital Hate found that the use of slurs against Black Americans increased nearly 500% in the 12 hours after Musk acquired the platform.
Another study by the analytics company Bot Sentinel estimated that right-wing troll accounts and misinformation increased substantially in the weeks after Musk’s acquisition. Accounts tweeting #MAGA and #QAnon conspiracies rose by 150,000 since October.
“We’ve seen a significant uptick in harmful content from previously dormant accounts that appear to be taking advantage of Twitter’s lax enforcement under Musk,” said Bot Sentinel CEO Christopher Bouzy.
However, X spokesperson Natalie Moffatt disputed claims that right-wing activity has exploded on the site. “Any increase is likely reflective of broader political trends unrelated to ownership changes,” she said.
Some experts say the shift rightward, if real, is largely due to Musk unbanning controversial right-wing figures like Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, and Kathy Griffin, who were previously penalized for inciting violence, harassment, or spreading misinformation.
Their return has energized right-leaning users who felt their views were suppressed under Twitter’s old leadership. X reinstated over 62,000 suspended accounts in Musk’s first week of owning the company.
“Restoring banned accounts has emboldened the right,” said Leslie Cooper, a senior researcher at Free Press, a nonpartisan organization. “But X still retains the power to enforce its rules evenly.”
Adding nuance, David Broockman, a political scientist at UC Berkeley, notes that greater right-wing activity does not necessarily mean X’s core user base has changed. He hypothesized that the split is now roughly 60% liberal, and 35% conservative based on his preliminary research, not markedly different from Twitter under founder Jack Dorsey.
“While right-wing users are certainly more vocal now, X’s general politics still skew progressive,” said Broockman. “But we need more time to judge whether it’s becoming an alt-right megaphone.”
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Some experts argue X has always had a strong contingent of right-leaning voices, but their activity was suppressed by overzealous moderation.
“Twitter has often unfairly cracked down on mainstream conservative speech under the guise of fighting misinformation,” said Jillian York, an academic who studies content moderation. “In truth, all X has done is pull back slightly on censorship.”
Others claim X has become more dominated by left-wing “woke” voices who attack anyone with more traditional views.
“Elon Musk has actually emboldened the woke mob,” said Alex Jones, founder of the right-wing site Infowars, who X banned for abusive behavior. “He’s created a totalitarian antifa playground.”
In the end, parsing X’s political makeup remains murky. The platform has always contained a diversity of thought, even if parts of its user base inhabit ideological bubbles.
Some experts say evaluating X’s politics may ultimately be the wrong focus. The stakes are how to foster free, but responsible, discourse.
“A platform can allow vigorous debate from all sides without descending into a toxic cesspool,” said Internet governance researcher Daphne Keller. “That’s the real test for X.”
Whatever its political winds, most agree Musk’s looser approach at X has amplified voices across the spectrum. For better or worse, discourse on the platform will remain politically charged in this highly divided era.
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“We’ve seen a significant uptick in harmful content from previously dormant accounts that appear to be taking advantage of Twitter’s lax enforcement under Musk,” said Bot Sentinel CEO Christopher Bouzy.
“Restoring banned accounts has emboldened the right,” said Leslie Cooper, a senior researcher at Free Press.
“Elon Musk has actually emboldened the woke mob,” said Alex Jones, founder of the right-wing site Infowars.
