Study Finds Hate Speech On Twitter Increased Quickly After Elon Musk Takeover – Press Room

New research from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication at Montclair State University shows that in the hours following Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, the use of hate speech terms immediately increased on the social media platform.

Looking at Twitter data between October 22 and October 28, using the analytics program Tweetbinder, the study examined a range of vulgar and hostile terms for individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity and orientation. The seven-day average of Tweets using the studied hate terms prior to Musk’s acquisition was never higher than 84 times per hour. However, between midnight and noon on October 28 (shortly after Musk’s purchase), the studied hate speech was tweeted about 4,778 times.

Tweetbinder’s sentiment analysis tool, which measures positive or negative tone in Tweets, was also used to gauge potential hostility in the collected data.

The study, available to read in full, suggests some users were celebrating a reduction in perceived speech restrictions on the platform. The data conclusively shows that there is a link between Musk’s arrival and a wider perceived acceptability of hostile content posted on Twitter.

“The idea of ​​reducing moderation on social media has always led to the spread of hate and conspiracies. This is especially dangerous for young people on the platforms,” said Bond Benton, a Montclair professor who contributed to the study and researches online extremism.

Highlights from Montclair’s Twitter hate speech study:

• The seven-day average of Tweets using the studied hate terms prior to Musk’s acquisition was never higher than 84 times per hour.
• Between midnight and noon on October 28 (shortly after Musk’s purchase), the studied hate speech was tweeted about 4,778 times.
• The terms studied included vulgar and hostile terms for individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity and orientation.
• The potential impact of this hate speech (the potential number of times a term might have been seen on Twitter) was more than 3 million.
• Elon Musk has promised to reduce restrictions on the platform and “free the bird”. From these results, this directive poses a clear risk to young people using the platform.
• Moderated or unmoderated platforms are often spaces filled with racism, homophobia, transphobia and anti-Semitism.

The study was conducted by faculty Jin-A Choi, Bond Benton, Yi Luo and Keith Green of the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, located within the School of Communication and Media. The center provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact the Media Relations team at Montclair State University.