How Elon Musk’s X Algorithm Makes People More Conservative

This Nature article investigates the political effects of X's feed algorithm. The study found that switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. Switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. The study also found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm.