Elon Musk’s New X Algorithm is Harming Our Free Speech

Owen Petropulos ‘28

Contributing Writer

On Sept. 2, Elon Musk posted an AI generated image on X, formerly known as Twitter, of Kamala Harris in a communist outfit, stating: “Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit?” After establishing de facto control through a series of succession-like acquisition moves starting in October of 2022, Musk has completely transformed himself into a controversial right-wing figure through his persistent support for Donald Trump and impertinent opposition against Kamala Harris. For no other reason than holding vast wealth and power, Musk has taken one of the world’s most popular information outlets and turned it into a chaotic and deceitful media platform fueled by an algorithm that favors eccentric, click-generating posts over less controversial and more credible content.

According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, 59% of X users utilize the platform as their primary source for news, which means that with a user base exceeding 500 million, the social media giant serves as the primary news source for a substantial portion of the world’s population. Like all privately-owned news outputs, ethics take a backseat to profit in determining what content is delivered. Fox News makes its profits by catering its content towards people on the right, as does MSNBC for those on the left. Before Musk’s takeover, Twitter was thought of as a place for all people to receive credible news. Now, despite X’s claim of civic integrity, the algorithm developed under Musk has allowed for content on X to stray far from credible, catering highly biased information to people of all opinions in the name of extra profits.

Giulio Corsi of the University of Cambridge authored a case study that examines a 14-day period of X history -– 2.7 million posts — from early 2023. Based on Corsi’s complex statistical analysis on the X Algorithm, “Rude or disrespectful language see greater visibility on the platform when containing false or misleading domains… tweets expressing right-leaning political bias see heightened amplification compared to the baseline model.” In other words, the more controversial a post is, the more the algorithm promotes it. After all, more post impressions lead to greater profits. 

Musk’s manipulation of the algorithm is not the only change that has fostered the decline in X’s credibility. Musk has vastly decreased the extent to which X’s content moderation rules limit the spread of misinformation. In a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, “Twitter fails to act on 99% of hate posted by Twitter Blue subscribers.” Researchers took 100 posts that promoted hate speech from paid verified users (using X’s own flagging criteria) and found that all of the accounts were still up and running with their posts. Here’s an example of one of the posts: “LGBTQ+ rights activists need IRON IN THEIR DIET. Preferably from a #AFiringSquad.” This disgusting post, along with 99 other similar posts, were reported to X, and four days later only one of the 100 were taken down.

Along with the failure to limit hate speech, Musk has completely destroyed the value of being “verified.” Before Musk, verification was a process in which Twitter received information from a user which verified their identity, thus making their posts more credible. Under Musk, getting verified is nothing but a monthly subscription that tweaks the algorithm for you in order to get more people to see your posts. For $16 per month, you can buy “Premium+,” which gives you a blue checkmark, basically giving you the ability to say whatever you want and have the X algorithm work in your favor to promote your posts.

A system that rewards controversial and inappropriate posts cannot continue to be our basis of information connectivity. When rude and aggressive forms of debate become the norm for people on social media, common decency and cordial debate are lost, and hate becomes widespread and accepted. This toxic environment has created a chilling effect on free expression, as users may become hesitant to share their opinions for fear of being targeted or attacked. As respectable content fades away, far-right and far-left content become the norm, which is disastrous for society, since it makes the promotion of false and damaging content widespread. Musk himself has been one of the proponents of right-wing propaganda. Musk constantly reports false information, attacking the left almost daily. How can Musk get away with buying one of the world’s largest media platforms, removing almost all content restrictions, and sponsoring destructive content that, in the end, just makes him more money at the expense of free speech?  

Despite the problems Musk has created, there are many positive aspects to X. No other popular platform allows for people to connect directly with what noteworthy figures are saying. It connects users directly with the source, as opposed to the possibly skewed lens of a media conglomerate. People do have a right to freedom of speech, as long as it does not cause harm to another person, and X can be a good platform to get your voice heard. However, ethical problems arise when you build an algorithm that promotes nonsensical and hateful content and sells credibility for a price. The effects of an environment that celebrates controversial action can be felt here on campus. For example, some students recently felt that it was okay to destroy a peaceful protest against the war in Gaza. I encourage you to scroll through X and see for yourself just how much hate is on the platform. Musk’s new X is significantly contributing to the notion that aggressive and hateful behavior is not only normal and ok, but is celebrated in the name of free speech.