Study: X's feed algorithm favors conservative content, and switching to For You for seven weeks shifted users' views toward more conservative political opinions
The algorithm also doesn't like posts by traditional news media, the researchers found.
Gizmodo Ece Yildirim
Related Coverage
- The political effects of X's feed algorithm Nature
- The political effects of X's feed algorithm Ben Werdmuller
- X's Algorithm Makes Users More Conservative, Study Suggests Forbes · Martina Di Licosa
- The political effects of X's feed algorithm Hacker News
- “Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects1. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. … @Doug_Bostrom@scicomm.xyz · Doug Bostrom
- Switch recommender algorithms off — They should not be on anyway, per GDPR Art 9 and AI Act Art 5 — https://www.nature.com/... @johnnyryan@eupolicy.social · Johnny Ryan
- Well now, ain't that a surprise?! 🤡 — X's Algorithm Pushes Users to Lean More Conservative, Researchers Find — The algorithm also doesn't like posts by traditional news media, the researchers found. — https://gizmodo.com/... #social #media #SocialMedia #twitter #ElonMusk #conservative #tech #technology #BigTech #news @metin@graphics.social · Metin Seven
- X's “For You” Algorithm May Be Able to Shift Political Views Permanently, New Study Finds The Debrief · Tim McMillan
Discussion
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@razarumi
Raza Ahmad Rumi
on x
Algorithms do shape political views. A 2023 experiment on X found algorithmic feeds boosted engagement and nudged users toward more conservative positions — likely because the system amplifies certain political content. Effects can persist even after switching back.
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@ezhuravskaya
Zhuravskaya
on x
Excited about our @Nature paper about the political effects of feed algorithms on social media. Here is the Research Briefing about it: https://www.nature.com/... !
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@mortenstostad
Morten N. Støstad
on x
This is a great paper. Randomizing people's Twitter feed between For You (algorithm) and chronological -> * Algorithm shows 8-20% more conservative posts (p<0.001) * Switching to algorithm made people more conservative * Switching away had no effect (persistence)
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@hanaatameez
Hanaa' Tameez
on x
This new study about X's how algorithms are shifting people's politics finds — among many other things — that X hid content from news outlets: (I wonder what the reach of this 🧵will be??) https://www.nature.com/...
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@phinifa
Philine Widmer
on x
Can feed algorithms shape what people think about politics? Our paper “The Political Effects of X's Feed Algorithm” is out today in @Nature and answers “Yes”. https://www.nature.com/... [image]
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@dwallacewells
David Wallace-Wells
on x
“The key finding is that switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed shifted users toward more conservative positions: policy priorities, views on Trump's criminal investigations, and attitudes toward the war in Ukraine all shifted to the right.”
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r/NoShitSherlock
r
on reddit
X's Algorithm Pushes Users to Lean More Conservative, Researchers Find
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r/technology
r
on reddit
X's Algorithm Pushes Users to Lean More Conservative, Researchers Find
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r/technology
r
on reddit
The political effects of X's feed algorithm
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@leavex@mastodon.social
@leavex@mastodon.social
on mastodon
New article in Nature describes a field experiment on X which shows that assigning users to an algorithmic feed increases engagement and shifts opinions to align more with conservative viewpoints and demotes mainstream news. Sounds obvious but important in light of prior claims …
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@purchase-w-purpose
@purchase-w-purpose
on bluesky
X's Algorithm Pushes Users to Lean More Conservative, Researchers Find — Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are no better. Bluesky has become one of the few unaffected spaces... let's hope it doesn't change ownership. — gizmodo.com/researchers-...
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@joyouspanther
@joyouspanther
on bluesky
Pretty interesting that he went on that defense of Twitter the same day this came out. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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@brembs@mastodon.social
@brembs@mastodon.social
on mastodon
When will algorithmic decisions on platforms be treated equivalently to editorial decisions in traditional media? — “Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regard…