Elon Musk, the owner and Chief Technology Officer of the social media platform X, is still working to fulfill his vision for the platform.
A recent study by the Media Research Center revealed that despite Musk’s genuine commitment to promoting free speech on X, there has been no significant improvement in the platform’s algorithm.
The study found that the algorithm continues to amplify content from elected leftists while suppressing their conservative counterparts.
Although MRC acknowledged Musk’s efforts in advancing free speech on X, their data indicated that remnants of the previous censorship regime persist.
Researchers conducted tests using X’s AI search assistant, Grok, and discovered that visibility scores for members of Congress on the platform were influenced by four weighted factors: Mass Appeal (38 percent), Reputation (30 percent), Toxicity (21 percent), and Follow (11 percent).
These findings raised concerns as factors like “Reputation” and “Toxicity” are subjective and could potentially lead to biased outcomes. The study revealed that X favored Democrats in Congress and displayed a preference for leftists over moderates and conservatives.
This indicates that there is still work to be done in ensuring fair representation and equal visibility for all political perspectives on X.
“Generally speaking, the more left-leaning a congressional member is, the more visible their account is to X platform users. On the flip side, the more right-leaning a congressional member is, the more their account is penalized by the algorithm,” per MRC.
Algorithmic bias is evident in the average visibility scores, with Senate Democrats scoring 82.4 compared to Senate Republicans’ 66.8 on a 0-100 scale. Similarly, House Democrats received an average visibility score of 67 while their Republican counterparts only scored 58.6.
However, these averages only provide part of the picture. Among the 100 senators, Democrats claimed the top 42 visibility scores.
The clandestine amplification of left-leaning politicians’ accounts represents a blatant act of election interference, with specific examples further exacerbating the situation.
Shockingly, MRC found that X’s algorithm considers race-baiting Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California “the least toxic, most reputable, and highest-ranked House member.”
Additionally, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was awarded the top visibility rating among elected officials. Importantly, MRC did not attribute those questionable ratings to Musk.
Instead, the research pointed to an “internal rebellion against Musk within the company.”
Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022, subsequently rebranded as X, revealed the extent to which government figures had cooperated with social media platforms in suppressing conservative voices and dissenting opinions from the established narrative, particularly regarding COVID-related policies.
Nevertheless, as indicated by the MRC study, the battle against leftist authoritarianism persists.
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