Experts Warn of Potential Fragmentation Among Social Media Users Following Trump’s Election Victory | Science, Climate & Tech News

Experts have warned Sky News that, following Donald Trump’s election victory, social media platforms and their users may increasingly divide along political lines.

They emphasized that some of the world’s leading social media networks aligned themselves with the new US administration after the election in November.

Elon Musk of X has expressed his support for Trump during the elections and has since assumed a federal advisory role.

Recently, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a significant revamp of his platforms’ content moderation, which includes eliminating third-party fact-checkers in the US and introducing community notes.

This decision was characterized by Nina Jankowicz, former head of a disinformation board at the US Department of Homeland Security, as a “performative choice” to align with the new government.

The potential outcome is that traditional social media sites, along with emerging platforms such as Bluesky and Mastodon, might segregate politically, with users gravitating towards content that resonates with their views, according to Melissa Ingle, formerly involved in political disinformation at Twitter prior to Musk’s acquisition.

The potential implications could lead to significant “atomization” of social media users over the next several years, creating distinct silos as users with differing views gravitate towards disparate platforms, thereby reinforcing existing divisions and polarizing opinions, according to Ms. Ingle.

Researchers have expressed concerns to Sky News about the ramifications this could have, both online and offline.

Meta ‘could have maintained fact-checking’

Meta defended its decision to remove third-party fact-checking, claiming it was an effort to simplify a convoluted system and enhance freedom of expression on the platform.

Zuckerberg referred to “recent elections” when outlining his decision, and prior to his inauguration, Mr. Trump remarked that this action was “probably” a response to his previous threats.

However, Ms. Jankowicz argued that Meta’s choice was not an “either/or equation”.

“Zuckerberg could have retained third-party fact-checking to enhance content moderation while also incorporating community notes to address the concerns of figures like Trump and Musk,” she noted.

Ms. Ingle emphasized that entirely eliminating disinformation is an unrealistic objective, suggesting that platforms should instead adopt a variety of tools to effectively assist users – an idea echoed by others.

“Merely because it [third-party fact-checking] is an imperfect system doesn’t mean you discard it,” stated Ms. Ingle.

The current form of content moderation largely emerged following the 2016 US election, with platforms implementing measures to safeguard their informational ecosystems.

However, Meta’s latest move is expected to “harm” users seeking to avoid disinformation, according to Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network.

‘Cosying up to the president’

Both Zuckerberg and Musk attended Trump’s inauguration, the latter delivering a speech afterward.

Ms. Ingle cautioned that, given Musk’s support for Trump, X risks “supplanting state-sponsored media, potentially becoming something that explicitly supports the government”.

She remarked, “We’ve never seen social media leaders being this openly aligned with a president.”

Following Zuckerberg’s latest announcement, Ms. Jankowicz asserted, “Now all three major US social media platforms are under the control of openly Trump-aligned oligarchs.”

This type of consolidation is typically found in autocratic regimes, raising concerns about the political landscape in the United States at the beginning of Trump’s second presidential term.

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Trump could assist tech giants against foreign governments

The actions of X and Meta are not only responses to the recent US election but also stem from previous confrontations with international governments.

Meta was fined €1.2 billion (£1 billion) by the EU, and Mr. Musk found himself in a public dispute with Brazil, resulting in a temporary platform ban unless a fine of 28 million reais (£3.8 million) was paid.

In his video announcement, Zuckerberg spoke of collaborating with Trump to “counteract pressures from governments globally,” hinting at the changes social media could undergo under the new US administration.

Framed as a battle against censorship, it may set the stage for the forthcoming years as US social media firms align themselves with Trump, hoping to gain favorable outcomes in return.

This shift might already be underway. During a speech at Davos, Trump criticized the treatment of US companies in the EU, asserting, “No one is satisfied with the situation, and we will take action.”

‘The good, bad and ugly’

In announcing the abolition of third-party fact-checkers, Meta claimed its existing systems had grown too complex and that it aimed to foster more speech while targeting illegal and “high-severity” violations more effectively.

The platform acknowledged that while “the good, bad, and ugly” could all be present, it remained committed to upholding freedom of expression.

Following a 2021 decision to limit users’ exposure to “civic content,” such as political news, the platform has reversed that direction.

Meta remarked, “Too much benign content gets censored, far too many individuals get wrongly penalized with ‘Facebook jail,’ and our responses are frequently delayed.”

X has been contacted for further comment.