It's true, social media moderators do go after conservatives
- Reference: 1727977464
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/10/03/social_media_conservative_moderation/
- Source link:
A scientific paper published in the journal Nature this week confirms that was the case, with justification. The groups more likely to be subjected to moderation were also more likely to share misinformation from low-quality news sites.
"Concerns of bias against conservatives also contributed to Elon Musk's decision to purchase Twitter in 2022 and to roll back various anti-misinformation policies (such as reinstating many suspended users)," said researchers led by Oxford University associate professor Mohsen Mosleh in [1]the paper .
[2]
The research points out that, in the United States, critics claim conservatives and Republicans are purposefully targeted by social media moderators because of their political orientation. For example, Donald Trump said that Twitter "totally silences conservatives' voices," while US congressman Jim Jordan claimed academics, social media platforms, and the government colluded to censor conservatives.
[3]
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After Musk took over Twitter, he stripped out much of the moderation team tasked with tackling misinformation on the platform – now branded as X – and reinstated a number of previously suspended right-wing users, including former president Donald Trump.
The researchers analyzed 9,000 politically active Twitter users during the US 2020 presidential election to consider whether they were disproportionately targeted by moderators based on their political persuasion.
[5]Under-fire Elon Musk urged to get a grip on X and reality – or resign
[6]Chucking Trump etc off Twitter after Jan 6 provides key data for misinfo experiment
[7]When life gives you Lemon, sack him
[8]X hiring 100 content cops in bid to tame Wild West of online safety
"Although users estimated to be pro-Trump/conservative were indeed substantially more likely to be suspended than those estimated to be pro-Biden/liberal, users who were pro-Trump/conservative also shared far more links to various sets of low-quality news sites," the paper says.
Political imbalance in enforcement need not imply bias on the part of social media companies implementing anti-misinformation policies
Who judges what is a low-quality news source? It turns out the result holds true when the quality of news was judged by a group composed solely of Republican laypeople and those balanced from a political perspective.
"We find similar associations between stated or inferred conservatism and low-quality news sharing in seven other datasets of sharing from Twitter, Facebook, and survey experiments, spanning 2016 to 2023 and including data from 16 different countries," the paper says. "Thus, even under politically neutral anti-misinformation policies, political asymmetries in enforcement should be expected. Political imbalance in enforcement need not imply bias on the part of social media companies implementing anti-misinformation policies."
[9]
To celebrate his acquisition of Twitter, [10]Musk presented an unedifying spectacle by carrying bathroom furniture into the office to make a pun on the social media trope "let that sink in."
If only it were so easy to flush his misguided assumptions about social media moderation bias down the drain. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07942-8
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zv8UAoV9VxBt4bCF0GoFiQAAAJg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/07/elon_musk_chamber_progress/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/06/jan_6_depatforming_nature_study/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/19/musk_lemon_interview/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/29/x_moderation_hiring/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zv8UAoV9VxBt4bCF0GoFiQAAAJg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/27/musk_sink_twitter/
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Who is the judge ?
So you claim there is no such thing as true or false? There never, ever can be a plausible fact checking? Everything is just "narrative", fact's don't exist?
If that was the case, we could just as well stop listening, stop talking, stop writing, stop communicating. Shut down the media, shut down the internet.
Re: Who is the judge ?
> So you claim there is no such thing as true or false? There never, ever can be a plausible fact checking? Everything is just "narrative", fact's don't exist?
There *is* objective truth. However, the accusation of misinformation as been used against those suggesting that the prevailing narrative is actually false. There is a good reason that the term is used instead of "lying". If it was really all about truth and falsehood, then they would just be labelled as liars.
The oft quoted example is the ineffectiveness of home-made masks during the pandemic. It was known quite early that non-medical masks were worse than useless in the spread of the virus (worse because it made people feel more comfortable with close proximity to others).
Re: Who is the judge ?
Yep, the speed of light is merely an opinion. I say it is half that of the lying lefty scientific consensus. The new administration should legislate that and all scientific calculations should obey the law of the elected politicians.
Oops it's all gone dark ....
Re: Who is the judge ?
The argument style is from the school of sophism, and is the tool of those griping about their "alternative facts" being called out as the lies that they are.
These people are either deluded and/or deeply disturbed, or scammers after a quick buck. Or some combination.
Re: Who is the judge ?
“ Who judges what is a low-quality news source? It turns out the result holds true when the quality of news was judged by a group composed solely of Republican laypeople and those balanced from a political perspective.”
So, in this case at least it turns out to be people who are at least nominally sympathetic to the positions of those they judge to be propagating misinformation…
Re: Who is the judge ?
Who judges low quality news sites? Well I do - FOR ME only.
I change the source every time they are fixated on one subject for hours. If I want their opinion, I will listen. If I want NEWS, give me the facts as you see it and move on to the next thing.
There is a lot of stuff going on out there and I would like to hear about to determine if it is going to affect me. Something like a hurricane or a dam breaking upstream or even a good story about rescuing a critter, not 24/7 we don’t really know, but we are going to talk about it anyway.
As long as we have the first amendment, I might get both sides info and be able to make my own decisions.
I figured this would trigger
The type of people who spread all the lies.
Re: Who is the judge ?
Each of us is the judge.
Lies are lies. Are you supporting liars?
Re: Who is the judge ?
Your first sentence is great.
"Every time that the word "misinformation" is deployed one should immediately ask oneself, who is the Judge ?"
Perfect even. Who is the judge? Who decides what is misinformation and what isn't?
That would actually be me. I have an analytical mind and can reference multiple sources and even apply common sense before determining if something is true or not. I'm not saying I'm in a minority or anything like that because I'm nothing special. The thing is though there are a lot of people in this world that just don't care. It's not that they are of lesser intelligence or anything like that. They just don't give a shit really so it's important those people are presented with information that is true.
Having said that I will be the first one to tell you the main stream media is absolute dogshit funded by billionaires to protect rich people. However, misinformation regardless of political side does need to be removed. Here's an important question for you.
Tell me of a single piece of misinformation that was removed that has been proven to not be misinformation. Left or right, take your pick.
Ever wonder how...
.. the modern "Bible" evolved into what it is today?
I wonder what offerings like "X" will evolve into..
Re: Ever wonder how...
Actually, the bible itself has remained remarkably consistent with fragments from antiquity ( pace spelling and translation errors, which are well known to scholars, if not the clergy ... ).
It's the interpretation and interpolation of the meaning contained within it that has become perverted over time.
Re: Ever wonder how...
The Bible contains, murder, rape, incest, liars, genocide, slavery, live executions and so on.
Much like the internet really. Maybe the bible didn't evolve and the internet copies the bible.
Re: Ever wonder how...
Maybe both derive from human behaviour...
They don't "go after" conservatives, per se.
Rather, they go after the posts of people who break the rules of the forum in question.
If the bulk of those rule breakers are "conservative" it is hardly the fault of the moderator.
And if a specific person continues to break the rules, they are removed from the forum ... NOT because they are "conservative", but rather because they are taking up too much time (money) on the part of the company hosting the forum.
Remember, the freedom of the press belongs to he who owns one. You are not allowed to use my presses without my permission.
Oligarchy Media Corruption
"high value media" means it is financed and corrupted by oligarchs. Soros, Gates and the like. They peddle their half baked medical products and their marxist ideas by these channels.
Facts such as CDC VAERS are getting suppressed, because these financiers demand that.
Re: Oligarchy Media Corruption
So-called "high value media" has nothing to do with money.
High value media is media which provides high value content.
ElReg is high value media. The National Inquirer, not so much.
"Facts such as CDC VAERS are getting suppressed"
No, I don't think so ... nobody is suppressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. It's still there, right where it always was. Perhaps you should stop getting your information from
Re: Oligarchy Media Corruption
“ ElReg is high value media”
I agree, but maybe for a different reason.
I look to the article to stimulate conversation in the comments.
I have found so many solutions from those that post constructive and useful info.
VMware- Broadcom
Hacking
Windows update failures
BoFH
Tools
Trends
This and may more articles and comments (solutions) make this a HIGH value news source.
Bribe
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/gates-stiftung-unterstuetzt-den-spiegel-mit-weiteren-29-millionen-dollar-li.194183
Re: Bribe
Do you have any thoughts of your own to contribute? Or are you content with parroting the thoughts of others?
Musk Ambition
Musk claimed to be for free speech as far as the law allows and misinformation happens to be protected speech under the US 1st Amendment.
If you want to disagree with how the algorithm promotes such speech then I might be more on your side.
Who is the judge ?
Every time that the word "misinformation" is deployed one should immediately ask oneself, who is the Judge ?
Misinformation, at least in my opinion, now seems to mean anything that doesn't agree with whoever's narrative.. Whether that be on the left or the right..
Since most of the media is controlled by the left it is to understand why those on the right are most often targeted.
This is pushing everyone, left and right, to the extremes and nothing good will come of it.
If the narratives don't start calming down we are headed straight for our own societal destruction, there will be no winners on either side, everyone will lose...