https://www.newsweek.com/-By James Bickerton
The Twitter logo is displayed on the screen of an iPhone in front of a computer screen displaying a Twitter logo on February 7, 2019 in Paris. Inset, Elon Musk talks to the press as he arrives to to have a look at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on September 03, 2020 near Gruenheide, Germany. Racist slurs on the social-media platform became more common in the first week of Musk’s control, according to fresh analysis. MAJA HITIJ/GETTY Use of the racist n-word on Twitter increased threefold in the first full week of Elon Musk’s ownership, according to a new study.
The investigation by the U.K.-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found the use of racist, homophobic, transphobic and antisemitic slurs increased significantly under the new ownership, compared to the 2022 average.
Imran Ahmed, founder of the CCDH, told Newsweek that Twitter has become “a pustulant well of hate” under Musk’s leadership.
In the week beginning October 31, the n-word was used in 26,228 tweets and retweets, three times the 2022 average.
During the same period, 33,926 tweets and retweets included the transphobic slur “t*****”, while 21,903 featured the homophobic insult “f*****”. These represented an increase of 53 percent and 39 percent, respectively, on the 2022 average.
The first week of Musk’s ownership saw antisemitic slur “k***”, and racist terms “w**” and “s***”, appear in 2,598, 1,256 and 935 retweets, respectively. This is an increase of 23 percent, 62 percent and 77 percent on the average for 2022.
This took place despite Musk’s claim, on November 4, that “hateful speech” had fallen under his leadership. On that day, the CEO tweeted: “Twitter’s strong commitment to content moderation remains absolutely unchanged. In fact, we have actually seen hateful speech at times this week decline *below* our prior norms, contrary to what you may read in the press.”
The CCDH used analysis site Brandwatch for its research, including tweets, retweets and quote tweets worldwide in the English language.
Speaking to Newsweek, Ahmed, a British former political adviser who launched the CCDH, said the rise of racist speech on Twitter proves the need for government intervention.
Ahmed said: “Nobody wants a world in which people feel they can attack others with racial slurs with impunity. Elon Musk described such a world to advertisers as a ‘hellscape’ and said he would do anything he could to prevent it.
“His head of safety said that they had successfully contained the situation, but our research shows this was untrue, which might explain why his head of safety abruptly resigned the day our research came out, showing that Twitter was awash with hate. Hate is a disease that will thrive wherever the immune system is weak.”
Ahmed added: “Twitter has become a pustulant well of hate within our society under Elon Musk, and it’s time we have an Online Safety Bill, so we can lance the boil that is Twitter and ensure that social-media companies cannot undermine our nation’s unity.”
An Online Safety Bill, which would punish social-media companies for allowing “legal but harmful” content on their platforms, has been promoted by the British Government. However, according to U.K. newspaper the Daily Telegraph, there are “growing fears” it could be “further delayed after being pulled from the last Parliamentary session” under Rishi Sunak, the new British prime minister.
A number of celebrities and public figures have left Twitter following Musk’s takeover.
Speaking to Newsweek, “Elvira” actress Cassandra Peterson, 71, who has announced her exit from the platform, said: “Twitter is allowing the spread of misinformation and toxic speech.”
However, some conservative commentators have also criticized Musk’s leadership of Twitter, arguing the platform is still undermining free speech.
YouTuber Lauren Chen tweeted: “Why is it in anyway part of Twitter’s goal to “combat hate”? Or have anything to do with election integrity? This is not sounding like a triumph for free speech…”
Newsweek has contacted Twitter for comment.