this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2024
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Certainly an interesting statistic but one thing to keep in mind is that Elon Musk has control over the algorithm and he uses it to boost right wing causes. So even if the Twitter has an equal number of users from both sides one side is getting an unfair advantage. Sources: https://cybernews.com/news/x-algorithm-changed-musk-boost-right-wing/ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/x-has-disproportionately-pushed-right-wing-content-since-elon-musk-took-over-reports https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/17/24298669/musk-trump-endorsement-x-boosting-republican-posts-july-algorithm-change
Perhaps it's because he's boosting right wing causes that the numbers have balanced.
Again, I'm not saying this is a good thing, merely that it's interesting. I would like a platform that's properly diverse, and this is one interesting metric. However, given that total userbase has dropped, I wonder if it's more attrition than anything that caused the balance. In any case, it'll be interesting to see where it ends up, and hopefully it's not just another Truth Social...
The problem is if he is boosting right-wing viewpoints and suppressing left-wing viewpoints then all the casual viewer ends up seeing is the right-wing viewpoints.
So just because left-wing content is on there doesn't mean people can easily access or find it.
So it's not really balanced in any way.
I honestly haven't used Twitter/X in any meaningful capacity, so I don't know what that looks like. But if he continually adjusts the algorithm to show a good mix, that would be a good thing. If he keeps pushing right wing stuff, it'll end up like Truth Social.
If the CNN report is accurate (and I have no reason to suspect it's not), then it's probably in a good place. We'll see in a few months though.
Have you been living under a rock or something? He isn't doing that, stop trying to argue a situation that doesn't exist. He's pushing right-wing extremist propaganda in order to get near Trump.
He's not balancing anything.
I don't use Twitter/X, I just see outrage here on Lemmy and other left-leaning media orgs like CNN. So I take that outrage with a grain of salt, especially since those same groups disliked Musk before he bought Twitter. I dislike Musk too, but I try to not let that color my perception of what he's actually accomplished.
So I'm hesitant to take those complaints at face value. I didn't like Twitter before Musk bought it, and I like it less now, but that doesn't mean a whole lot, which is why I rely on statistics like these to help cut through the BS from the big media firms.
If you can point to actual tangible facts and not cherry picked content, we can have a discussion. I provided mine, and the stats look promising.