There is a new study by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) that examines the recent changes on X, particularly on its updated algorithm, allegedly designed to boost Elon Musk and Republican content on the social media platform. Posts coming from Musk and the Republicans have significantly become more popular on X, as the algorithm now prioritizes them over other content.
The changes were allegedly made during the campaign period, dating back to when Musk expressed his support to now President-elect Donald Trump.
X Algorithm Prioritizes More of Elon Musk, Republican Content
The new study shared by QUT details the massive changes in X's algorithm, which reportedly began when Musk expressed his support for Donald Trump. The study compared Musk's engagements before the campaign period and after, and it found massive spikes in the numbers detailing the social media owner's boost.
Starting on July 13, Musk saw a 138 percent jump in his post views compared to other accounts, and there was also a 238 percent boost in the reposts based on his content, compared to his online performance before the date.
It was revealed by the study's authors, Timothy Graham, associate professor in digital media from QUT, and Mark Andrejevic from Monash University's communications and media studies, that this was not the first time Musk's numbers grew as a result of tweaking X's algorithm.
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X Changed Algorithm During Trump's Campaign
These latest findings on Musk's engagement numbers are similar to reports from The Wall Street Journal, which detailed how many Republican accounts saw a significant boost to their content during the campaign period. Moreover, the reports suggested the potential "right-wing bias" found on X's platform which helped drive more content from being available to the public, unlike other accounts.
However, the reports revealed that researchers were limited in getting a conclusive answer to these changes as X's API was known for cutting off free public access before, and this includes its Academic API, which detailed more of this information.
Elon Musk's X and Donald Trump's collaboration
Back when Musk was still looking to acquire Twitter, it was known that the executive planned to buy out all the stockholders and investors of the private company. When it was completed, Musk successfully acquired the social media platform and made it into a private company, with the massive changes on its blue check verification significantly reshaping the platform's presence.
With this, Musk's ownership of the platform meant that he could do whatever he wanted to it, including the many changes that users experienced. He even renamed it from Twitter to "X." One of the biggest moves he made was to pardon Donald Trump and give him access to his previous account, which got banned indefinitely.
After this, Musk went on to be the center of controversy on freedom of speech, sharing problematic statements which ultimately branded him as an anti-semitic, and more recently, used X to help Trump's campaign.
When Musk revealed his support for Trump, the tech executive went above and beyond to further his reach online, and with X's popularity, they held strategic campaigns on the platform which allowed AI-deepfaked images to be posted online. Since Trump won, many users already flocked to alternative platforms, including Bluesky, also revealing that Musk's alliance with the Republican President-elect is far more significant, including X's algorithmic changes.
