Musk's Twitter Rattles Politics: Remarkable Shift In Republican-Democrat Stance On Platform's Democracy Influence

Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has significantly changed how Republican and Democrat users view the platform's influence on American democracy.

According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, Republican users now have a more favorable view, with only 21% believing Twitter is detrimental to democracy, down from 60% in 2021. Meanwhile, 43% view it as beneficial, up from 17%.

Democrat users' opinions have soured, with 24% seeing it as beneficial, down from 47%, and 35% viewing it as harmful, up from 28%. Increasingly, users from both parties believe Twitter has no impact on democracy (36% GOP, 40% Democratic).

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Since Musk's $44 billion acquisition, Twitter has experienced notable changes, reinstating banned users and challenging "cancel culture." Critics argue these changes may lead to uncontrolled misinformation and harassment on the platform.

The survey highlights growing partisan differences over concerns related to misinformation, harassment, and civility. Democrat users are more likely to consider inaccurate information (68% vs. 37%) and tone or civility (50% vs. 27%) as significant issues. The partisan gap in assessing harassment severity has widened, with 65% of Democrat users and 29% of Republican users viewing it as a significant problem.

Furthermore, Democrat users increasingly perceive limiting visibility and banning users as major problems, while fewer Republican users view bans as a significant concern. However, concerns related to free speech are more common among Republican users, with 53% identifying limiting visibility and 43% pointing to banning users as significant problems.

Now Read: Elon Musk Dishes Out Social Media Advice To Apple: Post Content On Twitter And You'll 'Have Many More Followers'

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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