X’s algorithmic feed nudges US users toward conservative policy views, study finds
A 7-week field experiment with US X users shows that switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increases engagement and shifts political attitudes toward conservative positions on policy priorities, Trump investigations, and the Ukraine war; switching back to chronological has no reversing effects. The algorithm also promotes conservative content and activist accounts while demoting traditional media, and people tend to continue following these accounts after the switch, explaining why prior studies found no political effects when turning the algorithm off. Partisanship and affective polarization were largely unaffected. Compliance was high, and effects were stronger among Republicans and Independents.
