Overview
- Researchers randomly assigned 4,965 active U.S.-based X users to algorithmic or chronological feeds for seven weeks in 2023, then measured exposure and attitudes.
- The algorithmic feed surfaced conservative posts far more often while sharply reducing appearances from traditional news accounts and boosting political activists.
- Users moved to the ‘For You’ feed became 4.7 percentage points more likely to prioritize Republican-favored issues and expressed more negative views of the Trump investigations.
- Attitudes on the Russia–Ukraine war shifted toward a more pro-Russia stance, including lower favorability toward President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- The algorithm nudged users to follow more right-leaning accounts, with those network changes persisting after returning to a chronological feed as regulators press for greater algorithmic transparency.