Hate Speech on Twitter Has Skyrocketed Under Musk’s Takover: New Study

The data contained in the studies stands in opposition to Musk’s declaration that “hate speech impressions” have declined by one-third since he took over.

Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images

Since Elon Musk took over as Twitter’s chief executive officer in late October, the amount of hate speech on the platform has grown dramatically, according to new research released by 2 watchdog groups.

The data contained in the studies stands in opposition to Musk’s declaration that “hate speech impressions” have declined by one-third since he took over. Unlike the research from the watchdog groups, Musk’s claim was not backed up by any numbers.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate found tweets and retweets mentioning the n-word amounted to triple the 2022 average during the first week that Musk took over control of Twitter. Slurs against gay men were up 39%, and slurs against trans people were up 62%.

In another report, the Anti-Defamation League found a 61% increase in tweets referencing “Jews” or “Judaism” with antisemitic content, as well as a “decrease in the moderation of antisemitic posts, a troubling situation that will likely get worse, given the reported cuts to Twitter’s content moderation staff.”

Twitter has not responded to publications’ requests for comment on the reports. However, Musk did tweet a response to a separate New York Times article reporting on the research, calling it “utterly false.”