
A new study by the Media Research Center (MRC) has found that despite Elon Musk’s efforts to promote free speech on X, formerly Twitter, the platform’s algorithm continues to favor leftist accounts over conservative ones. This finding highlights ongoing challenges in Musk’s mission to make X a neutral platform.
The MRC study used X’s AI search assistant, Grok, to analyze visibility scores assigned to members of Congress. These scores determine which accounts are promoted or suppressed on the platform. Researchers found that visibility scores are influenced by four factors: Mass Appeal (38%), Reputation (30%), Toxicity (21%), and Follow (11%).
The study revealed that subjective factors like “Reputation” and “Toxicity” led to a clear bias against conservative accounts. Senate Democrats received an average visibility score of 82.4, compared to 66.8 for Senate Republicans. Similarly, House Democrats averaged a score of 67, while House Republicans scored 58.6. Remarkably, the top 42 visibility scores in the Senate were all awarded to Democrats.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was identified as the “least toxic, most reputable, and highest-ranked House member,” while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) received the highest overall visibility score.
MRC did not directly blame Musk for these biased outcomes but suggested that internal resistance within X might be undermining his efforts. Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter revealed significant collusion between social media platforms and government officials to censor conservative voices, particularly around COVID-19 policies.
This study underscores the ongoing struggle to achieve unbiased moderation on social media platforms. Despite Musk’s commitment to free speech, entrenched biases remain a significant challenge.