Ironically, there have been a lot of talks lately about hate speech rising on Twitter, and whether or not there’s actually more hateful content being shared in the app under the leadership of its new Chief Twit, Elon Musk. Given how Musk has reinstated tens of thousands of previously banned accounts, while also stoking anti-government and anti-establishment sentiment in his own Tweets, it wouldn’t be surprising if such incidents were on the rise. At the same time, Musk has also implemented a more open speech approach, which is designed to allow more types of comments and content to remain active in the app.
Safety Check
Weighing these elements, you’d think that hate speech would have increased. Then again, according to Twitter, it has actually declined. Third-party analysis also begs to differ, with rates of hate speech reportedly increasing on ‘Twitter 2.0’.
So, just which is true? Why do reports even vary? More importantly, should any of us be concerned? If you were a self-respecting advertiser, then you should be, knowing that promotions that appear alongside hateful content perform horribly, if they aren’t outright blocked from the get-go. This reporting variance likely comes down to different reporting methods. One third-party analysis report, conducted by The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) back in December, found that slurs against Black and transgender people had increased by around 60% since Musk took over.
Upon closer inspection, the study was primarily based on key term mentions, as well as the rates at which each term has appeared in the app. It was a fair enough proxy for measuring the relative frequency of such, but Twitter’s analysis, conducted by partner Sprinklr, took a more nuanced approach. So, Sprinklr measures not only key terms but also how they’re actually used, which it says is a more accurate way of tracking such activity. For example, some derogatory terms may be used within a context that isn’t offensive, which Sprinklr says is actually the majority.
That provides some insight as to why Twitter says that hate speech has, in fact, decreased, because with more advanced reporting, which also includes context and not just mentions, is declining, regardless of other reports saying otherwise. However, that doesn’t account for all the third-party analyses out there. Back in March, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) published its own report that showed a ‘major sustained spike in antisemitic posts on Twitter since the company’s takeover by Elon Musk.’ Unlike the CCDH report, ISD’s data reflects nuance, similar to Sprinklr’s.
Based on the ISD’s findings, Twitter’s hosting more hate speech, at least within specific parameters. ISD has also noted that the app’s now removing more content. Twitter’s also seeing more activity, specifically relating to more antisemitic Tweets, within the broader hate speech element, which is, of course, concerning.
The Wrap
So, what’s really correct and how do they relate to your promotions? A lot of it boils down to your perspective/s, and how much trust you put in Twitter’s teams to fight against such. Twitter says that overall hate speech is down, but it also doesn’t provide any transparency reports on how it came to its figures. Meanwhile, third-party reports contradict Twitter’s claims. At the end of the day, what determines whether this element of hateful activity is detrimental to your marketing efforts on Twitter is how well you understand the importance of variance in reporting, as well as properly contextualizing the issue at hand.
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