The consequences of “The Bird is Free”: A computational analysis of aversive LGBTQIA+ tweets and engagement trends before and after Elon Musk dismantled the platform’s moderation system

Abstract

This research uses Twitter discourse about LGBTQIA+ people as a case study to investigate how changes in social media platform management and policies affect conversations about marginalized communities in digital spaces. We examine Twitter discourse before and after Elon Musk’s acquisition and the immediate dismantling of content moderation efforts to identify changes in aversiveness in conversations about LGBTQIA+ people and users’ engagement with such content. Time-series intervention analyses of 6 months of Twitter data (n = 323,440) show that tweets with toxicity, insults, and threats increased in the 3 months after Musk’s takeover, although the differences were small. The volatility of aversive content also grew over time. Post-Musk, tweets with severe toxicity and insults received more engagement than before. This research provides insight into Twitter as one representation of the shared reality of today’s cultural moment, with implications for minoritized groups and the free flow of information on social media platforms.