What's happening on Twitter?
In the 48 hours since the announcement of the takeover by Elon Musk, who promised more freedom of expression and limiting moderation to the legal minimum, certain conservative political and media figures, such as Donald Trump Jr or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis , gained up to 200,000 followers, mostly from newly created accounts.
At the same time, Barack Obama and progressive figures have lost a few thousand followers.
Over 48 hours, since the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, many conservative accounts have gained more than 100,000 followers:
- Marjorie Taylor Greene: +105,000 (+19%)
- Ron DeSantis: +205,000 (+11%)
- Don Jr: +206,000 (+2.5%)
- Bolsonaro: +101,000 (+1.3%) pic.twitter.com/Tl83yqxMt5
— Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) April 27, 2022
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, for example, gained more than 100,000 followers in two days, ten times more than his usual average of 5,000 daily.
And according to a study by BotSentinel, more than half would be accounts created for less than 48 hours.
But according to Twitter, these fluctuations seemed to be mainly due to an increase in the number of profiles created or deactivated, and not to "bots".
Donald Trump Jr denounces the evidence of a “shadow banning”
If conservative figures welcome these new subscribers with open arms, Donald Trump Jr quipped on Monday, writing: "Looks like 'shadow banning' is another right-wing theory that turns out to be 100% true".
Seems Shadow Banning is yet another “right-wing conspiracy theory” that was 100% true.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 26, 2022
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As Twitter has toughened its moderation, especially in the face of misinformation in recent years, the network has been accused of quietly censoring right-wing accounts through its algorithms that determine which accounts or posts are featured in a user's feed. .
Algorithms that Elon Musk has promised to open by passing them into open-source for greater transparency.
A return of Donald Trump?
With the takeover by the boss of Tesla, with opinions close to the libertarian right, Donald Trump, excluded by Twitter, will he make a comeback on the network?
The former US president excluded him, assuring Fox News that he intended to devote himself to Truth Social.
But two months after his first message, he is still waiting.
While technical problems seem to prevent his platform from welcoming all Internet users who have created an account for the moment, the sirens of Twitter, where the former American president had nearly 90 million subscribers, could well be difficult to ignore. .
Especially as the November midterms approach.
By the Web
Twitter bought by Elon Musk: Freedom of expression, transparency, bot hunting… What will the new owner change?
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Social networks: Elon Musk officially buys Twitter
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