Peter Gleick, climate and water expert, with almost 100 thousand followers on Twitter, announced on May 21 that he would no longer post messages on the famous network, accusing it of racism and sexism.
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The researcher states that he is accustomed to “aggressive, personal and 'ad hominem' attacks, which go as far as direct physical threats”. But in recent months, he told AFP, “since the arrival of the new owner and the changes at Twitter, the number and intensity of attacks has skyrocketed.”
Since acquiring Twitter six months ago, the mogul Elon Musk eased moderation of problematic content and allowed previously banned people, such as Donald Trump, to return to the platform.
Robert Rohde of the Berkeley Earth association also analyzed the activity of hundreds of climate expert accounts before and after Twitter changed ownership.
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For him, these tweets no longer have the same reach: the average number of “likes” (to mark approval) fell 38%, and they were retweeted 40% less.
Disinformation
Twitter has not directly commented on the changes made to its algorithms, which drive traffic and visibility on the network. Contacted by email, the company's communications department responded with an automatic message that includes a “💩” emoji. 😓
In a tweet in January, Musk explained his motivation for the changes: “People on the right should see more 'left' stuff and people on the left should see more 'right' stuff. But you can block if you want to stay in an echo room.”
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In another analysis, renowned climatologist Katharine Hayhoe analyzed reactions to the same tweet that she deliberately posted twice, before and after Musk's acquisition of Twitter.
Responses from 'trolls' or 'bots' – automated accounts that often spread misinformation – increased 15 to 30 times compared to previous years, according to the scientist.
“Professional trolls”
Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University, decided to move most of his weather communication to another platform, Substack.
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“Climate communications on Twitter are less useful (now) because I see my tweets generating less engagement,” he claims.
Other experts have simply decided to abandon Twitter.
Katharine Hayhoe estimates that of the 3.000 climate scientists she had registered, 100 disappeared after the company was purchased.
Glaciologist Ruth Mottram had more than 10.000 followers on Twitter, but in February she decided to join a scientists' forum on Twitter. Mastodon, a decentralized social network created in 2016. According to her, there is a “much calmer” environment.
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Michael Mann, a renowned climatologist at the University of Pennsylvania who is also a victim of online attacks, believes that the rise in misinformation is “organized and orchestrated” by opponents of climate policies.
“Professional trolls manipulate the Internet environment through strategic posts that create conflict and division,” he told AFP.
(With AFP)
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