X algorithm feeds users political content, shows recent analysis

The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, is feeding its users political content despite them choosing nonpolitical topics of interest like crafts and cooking, finds a Wall Street Journal investigation.

Over 50% of the “For You” feed of the 14 new X accounts, the Journal created for the experiment, were political.

Posts supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared twice as often as pro-Kamala Harris material.

Harris’s official campaign page was the most-seen account, but the majority (10 out of the top 14) of the most commonly-appearing accounts leaned right.

Billionaire Musk, who bought X (previously Twitter) in 2022, claims the recommendation algorithm is open-source and not influenced by his views. However, researchers say more transparency is needed.

Meanwhile, a recent Pew Research survey found that 53% of right-leaning users think X benefits democracy, up from 17% in 2021.