On July 13, after a shocking assassination attempt on Donald Trump, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his support. He tweeted to his expansive following of over 200 million, stating, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” This tweet serves as a clear indication of Musk’s growing influence over the political landscape as we approach the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Musk has taken deliberate steps to impact the electoral process, having reportedly donated more than 0 million to a political action committee known as America PAC, which is dedicated to supporting Trump’s campaign. However, recent research indicates that Musk’s influence may extend beyond mere financial contributions. With a substantial increase in engagement on his posts following his endorsement of Trump, many have begun to speculate whether he may have tweaked the platform’s algorithm to enhance the visibility of his content.
The study, which is currently in preprint form, reveals that Musk’s posts have gained an astonishing boost in engagement statistics—view counts skyrocketed by 138%, retweets by 238%, and likes by 186% since July. In contrast, other political accounts on the platform experienced only moderate gains, suggesting a significant and targeted enhancement in Musk’s visibility compared to peers.
This isn’t the first time Musk has made headlines for his manipulation of engagement metrics. Last year, Musk reportedly assembled a team of engineers to boost the visibility of his tweets after expressing dissatisfaction over their performance against tweets from other political figures, including President Biden.
The research compared Musk’s engagement with other notable political influencers, including conservative voices like Tucker Carlson and more progressive figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders. The results showed a troubling trend: Musk’s platform favored conservative accounts in terms of engagement, raising eyebrows about potential bias and highlighting the necessity for scrutiny in social media regulation.
Despite inquiries about this apparent algorithmic favoritism, X has thus far remained tight-lipped, complicating efforts to fully understand the dynamics at play. Outside investigations have indicated that tweets from Republicans tend to go viral more frequently than those from their Democratic counterparts, further underscoring the possibility of biased engagement tactics.
Musk’s significant financial sponsorship of Trump and a controversial initiative to incentivize voter registration reflect his intention to reshape the political narrative on X. This also challenges the perceived neutrality of social media platforms, which many users believe should provide a balanced representation of diverse viewpoints. Musk’s actions raise important questions about content moderation and the responsibilities of tech giants in shaping public discourse.
As conversation around the power of tech billionaires heats up, it becomes increasingly clear that their influence can warp the informational landscape in ways that challenge the integrity of democratic processes. The time is ripe for governments to reconsider how they regulate the profound impact of social media on public life.
#Politics #Technology
