Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been utilizing the platform to share his pro-Trump political viewpoints, with many of his posts promoting false or misleading claims about the US election. A recent report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that at least 87 of Musk’s posts this year have spread misinformation about the election, accumulating a staggering 1.7 billion views. Additionally, the report revealed that Musk’s posts generated more views than all the political ads on the platform combined during the election period, indicating a significant impact.
One specific false claim made by Musk about swing states and “voter importation” gained 21 million views, highlighting the reach and influence of his posts. Furthermore, new research suggests that Musk may have tweaked X’s algorithm since January to boost his posts promoting pro-Trump content. This adjustment resulted in a significant increase in engagement with Musk’s X account, indicating a potential algorithmic shift that favored his content over others’ on the platform.
The study found a sudden increase in view counts, retweets, and likes for Musk’s X posts since July, with engagement levels rising by 138 per cent, 238 per cent, and 186 per cent respectively. Many of these posts either supported the Republican candidate or criticized Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, further showcasing Musk’s political bias on the platform. These findings raise questions about the neutrality of social media platforms like X and suggest that Musk may be using his ownership of the company to tilt the platform in favor of Trump.
It was reported that Musk had mobilized a team last year to algorithmically boost his posts on X, indicating a deliberate effort to amplify his reach and influence on the platform. Despite these allegations, X has not yet responded to requests for comment on the studies. Overall, the research suggests that Musk’s manipulation of X’s algorithm may have played a significant role in spreading pro-Trump content on the platform, raising concerns about the impact of powerful individuals on social media platforms.
