Female congressional candidates, especially candidates of color, are more likely than other candidates to be targeted by offensive or hate speech on social media platform X, according to a new study.
analysisThe report, released Wednesday by the nonprofit Center for Democratic Technology (CDT) and the University of Pittsburgh, found that any member of Congress with one or more accounts on X posted between May 20 and August 23 of this year This study investigated tweets that mentioned candidates. 800,000 posts.
Researchers found that nearly 23% of tweets containing offensive language, defined by the nonprofit as words or phrases that disparage, threaten, insult, or ridicule a candidate, were posted by Asian American women. found occupied by Congressional candidates.
The study found that nearly 21% of offensive tweets were targeted at African-American female candidates for Congress, compared to 18% for white female candidates. Slightly fewer Latina women candidates were targeted by this type of speech (16%).
A similar trend was observed for hate speech. Hate speech is defined by the CDT as any offensive speech that refers to a person's identity, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
This type of speech is prohibited by X. Recognized for blog post Last year, it reported that “research has found that some people are unfairly targeted for abuse online.”
Researchers found that less than 1 percent of all tweets mentioning candidates contained hate speech.
According to the study, African American female congressional candidates accounted for nearly 4% of tweets containing hate speech. Researchers said this was seven times more likely for African American men, three times more likely for white women, and more than 18 times more likely for white men.
CDT researchers say it is up to social media companies, AI companies, researchers and political parties to “act on the reality that identity determines how people interact with candidates online.” He said it would depend on the other parties involved. It also encouraged social media platforms to establish concrete measures to prevent such abuses, including clear policies prohibiting attacks on individuals based on their identity.
“The current impact of women candidates of color being targeted for significant online attacks at far higher rates than other candidates is enormous in building a truly inclusive democracy. “This poses a significant barrier,” the study says.
X has repeatedly faced accusations in recent years that the platform is not doing enough to prevent hate speech and abuse of users online.
Some critics blame technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, who bought the platform in 2022. The tech mogul has taken a new approach to the platform's content policies, cutting back on some moderation features. The lack of moderation caused various advertisers to flee the site and led to legal investigations into the company's practices.
The Hill has reached out to X for further comment.
