Hate speech soared on Twitter after Elon Musk’s acquisition and its impact is deeper than expected
The number of toxic messages rose by 50% in the months following the purchase of the social media platform, now named X, and they also received 70% more likes
The number of hate messages on Twitter (now X) rose by 50% between the time that Elon Musk bought the social media platform in October 2022 and June 2023, when he blocked access to the network’s data to researchers and journalists. Hate messages also received 70% more likes in that period. Compared to the months before the purchase, activity only increased by 8% and general likes by 4%, showing that hate content increased much more than it should have, according to a paper published this Wednesday by researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.
