X-posing Free Speech: Examining the Impact of Moderation Relaxation on Online Social Networks
Arvindh Arun, Saurav Chhatani, Jisun An, Ponnurangam Kumaraguru
Abstract
We investigate the impact of free speech and the relaxation of moderation on online social media platforms using Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter as a case study. By curating a dataset of over 10 million tweets, our study employs a novel framework combining content and network analysis. Our findings reveal a significant increase in the distribution of certain forms of hate content, particularly targeting the LGBTQ+ community and liberals. Network analysis reveals the formation of cohesive hate communities facilitated by influential bridge users, with substantial growth in interactions hinting at increased hate production and diffusion. By tracking the temporal evolution of PageRank, we identify key influencers, primarily self-identified far-right supporters disseminating hate against liberals and woke culture. Ironically, embracing free speech principles appears to have enabled hate speech against the very concept of freedom of expression and free speech itself. Our findings underscore the delicate balance platforms must strike between open expression and robust moderation to curb the proliferation of hate online.- Anthology ID:
- 2024.woah-1.15
- Volume:
- Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Online Abuse and Harms (WOAH 2024)
- Month:
- June
- Year:
- 2024
- Address:
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Editors:
- Yi-Ling Chung, Zeerak Talat, Debora Nozza, Flor Miriam Plaza-del-Arco, Paul Röttger, Aida Mostafazadeh Davani, Agostina Calabrese
- Venues:
- WOAH | WS
- SIG:
- Publisher:
- Association for Computational Linguistics
- Note:
- Pages:
- 201–211
- Language:
- URL:
- https://aclanthology.org/2024.woah-1.15
- DOI:
- Cite (ACL):
- Arvindh Arun, Saurav Chhatani, Jisun An, and Ponnurangam Kumaraguru. 2024. X-posing Free Speech: Examining the Impact of Moderation Relaxation on Online Social Networks. In Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Online Abuse and Harms (WOAH 2024), pages 201–211, Mexico City, Mexico. Association for Computational Linguistics.
- Cite (Informal):
- X-posing Free Speech: Examining the Impact of Moderation Relaxation on Online Social Networks (Arun et al., WOAH-WS 2024)
- PDF:
- https://preview.aclanthology.org/jeptaln-2024-ingestion/2024.woah-1.15.pdf