Does anyone else with Elon Musk payed more attention to Tesla?
Ketan Joshi broke this down in a great article about Elon Musk’s Twitter ownership going sideways…
On my website, I recently expressed my belief that Elon Musk’s reputation as a “climate hero” is greatly exaggerated, as he has made contributions alongside counterproductive actions. One such action is the negative impact he has had on Twitter, which has long been used by climate activists, communicators, and experts. Despite this, Twitter remains my primary social media platform, even though it is now broken and chaotic.
Musk has become increasingly open about his right-wing views, including his own transphobia and support for white supremacists, white nationalists, and racists. He has also been seen associating with right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who praised Musk’s progress with Twitter. This is ironic given that many Tesla supporters feel that the media is biased against them.
Since Musk’s takeover of Twitter, there has been a noticeable increase in right-wing content, including instances of antisemitism. This has made it difficult for me to continue using Twitter as a platform for climate and energy communication, despite the time and effort I have invested in it.
The level of hate speech on Twitter has increased due to Musk’s lack of understanding of what constitutes free and healthy speech. His views on content moderation seem to be outdated, akin to that of a 12-year-old in 2013. As a result, there has been a rollback in content moderation, which has led to the unsuspension of previously banned accounts, including those belonging to particularly egregious racists and white supremacists.
The gradual rebirth of climate denier Twitter
It seems that there has been a significant shift in the dynamics of the site, particularly in terms of which accounts and tweets are being promoted and given more visibility.
I have noticed that climate deniers or those who argue against taking any action on climate change have experienced a massive increase in their number of followers, while pro-climate accounts have either lost followers or gained very few new ones. Musk himself has aligned himself with climate deniers, such as when he promoted a conspiracy theory video by Australian climate denier and member of the far-right, xenophobic One Nation party, Senator Malcolm Roberts. In response, Roberts praised Musk for his efforts to “rekindle freedom of speech,” which he believed was praiseworthy in and of itself.
Travis Brown, a researcher based in Berlin, has been closely monitoring the changes taking place on Twitter under Musk’s leadership. He has been particularly interested in how the roll-out of Twitter’s paid service, ‘Twitter Blue,’ has been progressing. After conducting an impromptu data analysis of climate denial among Blue accounts, Brown found the results to be concerning. The ability to pay a small fee to simulate trustworthiness and gain greater visibility in algorithmic feeds and the sorting of replies is an invaluable tool for climate deniers.
Musk’s recent announcement that only tweets from paid subscribers will appear in the algorithmic “For You” feed is especially relevant in this context. Musk seems to believe that he has discovered a lucrative scheme, offering greater prominence to individuals whose speech is so vile that they have failed to earn it on their own merit.
ISD’s recent analysis revealed that fringe websites promoting climate denial have become increasingly prominent in online discussions, receiving thousands of daily mentions on Twitter from highly influential climate-denying actors, pundits, and media outlets. Additionally, ISD identified several actors who were labeled as “super-spreaders” of climate misinformation, including well-known deniers such as Patrick Moore, Steve Milloy, and Peter Clack. These actors were found to be frequently linking to fringe climate denialist websites.
ISD’s recent analysis revealed that fringe websites promoting climate denial have become increasingly prominent in online discussions, receiving thousands of daily mentions on Twitter from highly influential climate-denying actors, pundits, and media outlets. Additionally, ISD identified several actors who were labeled as “super-spreaders” of climate misinformation, including well-known deniers such as Patrick Moore, Steve Milloy, and Peter Clack. These actors were found to be frequently linking to fringe climate denialist websites.
How bad is it, really?
Travis Brown, a researcher based in Berlin, has developed a system that collects information on Twitter accounts over time, with a focus on conservative and right-wing networks. In an effort to determine if climate deniers are experiencing a significant increase in their Twitter platform compared to pro-climate accounts, the author collected a list of top denier accounts and pro-climate accounts, and sent it to Travis. He then provided the follower count over time for each account, with a baseline of September 2022, three months before Musk’s purchase of Twitter was finalised. The author compared this baseline date to the end of February and found the percentage change in followers for each account.
Not one account on the list of climate deniers or delayers lost followers since September of last year. However, pro-climate accounts gained followers at a relatively low level, compared to the 1 to 2 times growth in audience size for the deniers. Out of the 26 pro-climate accounts, 13 gained no followers, or even lost followers. The maximum audience growth for the pro-climate accounts was less than one twenty-fourth of the average audience growth for the deniers. Although the account selection method was somewhat ad-hoc, it is undeniable that Musk’s ownership of Twitter has significantly increased the audience of climate deniers and delayers. This phenomenon had already started before Musk officially purchased Twitter in mid-2022, but the changes have accelerated significantly since then. A comparison of the changes for both groups side by side clearly shows the difference.
The data presented suggests that climate deniers and delayers on Twitter have seen a significant increase in their platform since September 2022, particularly following Musk’s purchase of Twitter. None of the denier/delay accounts on the list lost followers during this period, while many gained 1 to 2 times their previous audience size. In contrast, many of the pro-climate accounts gained few new followers or even lost them. However, it should be noted that the account selection method was ad-hoc and may not be representative or inclusive. The data also reveals that some of the growth among denier accounts is directly linked to Musk’s decisions, such as boosting Michael Shellenberger’s following and reinstating Jordan Peterson’s account. Additionally, some pro-climate accounts have masked losses due to factors such as having to lock accounts to avoid abuse on Musk-Twitter.
To throw in a few more illustrative accounts, here are daily changes in the following for prominent denier accounts, with the date of Musk’s purchase highlighted:
Why deniers are thriving under Musk’s rule?
The article suggests that climate denial and delay accounts on Twitter have seen a significant boost in followers since Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform in 2022, with some accounts growing their audience by up to 200%. The article also notes that the highest-growth denier account had steady growth before Musk’s takeover, suggesting that there was already a shift underway even before Musk’s purchase was finalized.
The article suggests that a variety of factors have contributed to the growth of denier accounts on Twitter, including a change to the algorithm to boost tweets “outside” of one’s political sphere, and the Twitter Blue subscription service which has helped grant legitimacy and prominence to pro-fossil deniers. Additionally, Musk has been publicly endorsing right-wing and far-right views, boosting transphobes, racists, misogynists, and climate deniers.
The article suggests that more research is needed to understand how denier networks are growing and the reasons behind it. The author believes that Twitter has shifted in favour of the fossil fuel industry, climate deniers, and delayers and that the reasons for this are far more complex than just algorithm tweaks. The author suggests that Twitter’s decline will continue, with Musk’s anxieties and inadequacies dominating decision-making.
