‘Display of angry and hostile tweets has increased since Elon Musk changed Twitter algorithm’, say researchers

Last Updated on 06/01/2023 by てんしょく飯

Twitter’s algorithm has changed since Elon Musk took over as CEO of Twitter in November 2022.

‘For You (Recommended)’ timeline has seen an increase in the number of tweets that amplify anger and hostility in the content displayed on the timeline.

This has been reported by a team of researchers from Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley. [2305.16941] Twitter’s Algorithm: Amplifying Anger, Animosity, and Affective Polarisation https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.16941

Elon Musk’s Twitter algorithm changes are ‘amplifying anger and animosity’, say researchers | Evening Standard https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-twitter-algorithm-cyberbullying-discrimination-cornell-uc-berkeley-b1084490.html

In February 2023, the research team compared the content displayed in the ‘recommended’ timeline with the traditional timeline, which is presented in chronological order, for 806 Twitter users. As a result of the study, the research team found that the tweets displayed to users in the ‘recommended’ timeline particularly emphasised ‘emotional content’, and furthermore, even if they were not originally intended to provoke a response, the resulting emotional response from users was stronger than ever. The research team says: “Twitter’s algorithms amplify tweets expressing strong emotions such as anger, happiness, sadness and anxiety. In particular, tweets expressing anger were found to be intensively amplified. Twitter users also reported increased emotional reactions, especially anger, after reading tweets displayed by this algorithm”.

Political tweets displayed by Twitter’s algorithm are also more likely to change users’ behaviour and thinking. According to the research team, this may lead to an increase in behaviour, such as negative opinions towards groups with opposing views. The research team says: “Viewing tweets selected by these algorithms may lead to an emotional polarisation of users, as they perceive the political groups they support more positively and those they do not support more negatively”.

Furthermore, many users who view ‘recommended’ timelines curated by Twitter’s algorithm will follow specific recommended accounts that align with their beliefs and beliefs, resulting in similar content appearing on their timelines and It was suggested that this reinforces the echo chamber phenomenon. On the other hand, Marvin Winkelman, who works in content creation and other areas, stated that “engaging in debate is an intrinsic part of human nature, and controversial topics tend to generate far more interaction than topics on which there is agreement”. Winkelman added: “Since the acquisition of Twitter by Mr Musk, Twitter’s algorithms have probably been changed to encourage debate, and Twitter’s ‘Recommended’ timeline shows many controversial topics, no matter how positive they are. ‘Twitter’s ‘Recommended’ timeline shows many controversial topics, but even the most positive topics can feel negative as a result, as various users disagree and debate the topic.

Note that Twitter is open-sourcing the post selection algorithm for the ‘Recommended’ timeline in March 2023 to ensure transparency of the algorithm. Twitter has open-sourced its ‘Recommended’ timeline post selection algorithm, making it available for anyone to download – GIGAZINE