In recent months, there has been no shortage of changes on the side of the social network Twitter. The cause of these developments is simply called Elon Musk and, without redoing all the history, the platform has seen its rules change a lot, particularly in terms of freedom of expression.
While the idea of having more free speech on Twitter is enticing, outside analysts like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report that abusive and hateful content is on the rise. Although the platform says otherwise, the data speaks for itself with, over the past twelve months, an increase in reports of harassment and hate messages both among adults and among 13-17 year olds.
Although the trend can be observed on different platforms such as Reddit, TikTok or WhatsApp, on Twitter the increase is particularly marked. The return of banned users and the dissolution of its Trust and Safety council probably have something to do with it. More generally, the ADL notes that Facebook remains the social network where the most reports are made. This seems logical, since it is still the most used platform in the world.
Without being a special case, the network with the blue bird surprises especially with its counter-statements and announcements of the decline of hatred on its application; even claiming to have had a 50% reduction in March and another 30% reduction during his last visit to Europe. Faced with this, we can only deplore a certain disconnect between what Internet users experience and what Twitter declares to observe internally.
The current vagueness is neither good for users nor good for advertisers who don’t know what to expect from investing in advertising on Twitter. It remains to be seen if Elon Musk’s next collaborations and partnerships, in terms of third-party verification, lead to a little more secure platform. The next few months will reassure marketing professionals… or not!