Study of 5,000 Users Found X’s Algorithm Shifted Politics Right Under Musk
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 23
Study of 5,000 Users Found X’s Algorithm Shifted Politics Right Under Musk
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 23
Summary
A 2023 study of nearly 5,000 U.S. X users found people assigned to the algorithmic feed saw more right-wing content and moved rightward politically over seven weeks.
The opinion piece argues that result fits Elon Musk’s broader use of X to amplify his own politics, citing his promotion of an anti-immigrant film, the Belfast riots and Germany’s AfD.
X’s risks may have deepened since then because Musk has merged the platform’s algorithm with Grok, which the article says has itself been pushed toward right-wing responses.
The broader claim is that X is not a neutral platform under Musk’s control and that its political distortions threaten not only the left but eventually the right as well.
If an algorithm merely feeds us what we click, is the platform shaping our minds, or just holding up a dark mirror?
Could mandatory algorithmic choice and decentralized networks finally break the invisible grip that tech billionaires hold over global public discourse?
When published code hides real-time filters, how can global regulators truly know what forces are manipulating our daily information diet?