A long-held suspicion that X algorithms prioritize conservative content and sway opinions towards the political right is now backed by robust scientific evidence.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature concluded that X’s algorithmic feed favors conservative content and demotes posts from traditional media, leading users to become more supportive of Republican talking points.
The study on X algorithms, conducted during July and September of 2023, included over 4,900 participants, who were randomly assigned to use either an algorithmic or a chronological feed.
Exposure to the algorithm-based feed led users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continued to follow even after switching off the algorithm. Those assigned to switch to the algorithmic feed also were:
- 4.7 percentage points more likely to prioritize policy issues considered important by Republicans, such as inflation, immigration, and crime.
- 5.5 percentage points more likely to believe that the investigations into Trump are unacceptable, contradict the rule of law, and undermine democracy.
- 7.4 percentage points less likely to hold a positive view of Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
- 3.7 and 2.3 percentage points more likely to follow any conservative account and any political activist account on X, respectively.
In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects.
Moreover, content annotated as conservative was 19.9% more likely to appear in the algorithmic feed, while posts annotated as liberal were 3.1% more likely to appear.
The study concluded X’s algorithm promotes conservative content to users across the political spectrum. However, the persuasion is stronger for Republicans and Independents, who are more positively predisposed to conservative messages.
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Cybernews has reached out to X for commentary and will update this article once it receives a response.
The study confirms what many have suspected after Elon Musk took over Twitter, now called X, in 2022, and relaxed some content rules.
According to a 2025 Pew Research Survey, 31% of X users think the network tends to support conservative views over liberal ones, and only 5% say it favors liberal views. Nearly four in ten (38%) say it supports both sets of views equally.
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