X: Free speech vs. extreme narratives - sexism and misogyny

Holmes, Jennifer; McCready, Claudia; Smietanko, Eve; bowers, Claire; James, Jack; Etherton, Katie

Abstract

X: free speech vs. extreme narratives – sexism and misogyny

Since the purchase of Twitter, now ‘X’, by Elon Musk in October 2022, a growing concern has emerged within academic and professional discourse regarding the ‘free speech absolutist’ stance of the platform, and the rise of hate speech observed in the months immediately following the transition from Twitter to X (Benton et al, 2022). With the popularity and far-reaching use of X, Musk’s ‘free speech absolutist’ stance has the potential to “become a haven for misinformation, extremism, and hate” (Benton et al 2022, p,1). This could influence others to “adopt and propagate the same information, establishing a network where belief systems are shaped by the content encountered on social media” (Sayogie et al 2023, p.2). This period of new ownership has seen the return of controversial public figures once banned due to their perceived extreme narratives. Such individuals include self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, whose influence on young men has been a concern for professionals, with a survey in 2023 finding that 23% of boys aged 15-16, and 56% of male parents between 25-34 held positive views of Tate (Internet Matters, 2023). This highlights the need for research into whether extreme narratives have increased on X since Musk’s ownership, and any social harms caused in the context of the spread of extreme online sexism and misogyny. This paper will set out the proposed methodology to be employed to explore the links between the adoption of a ‘free speech absolutist’ stance and the rise of extreme sexism and misogyny on X.

References:
Benton, B., Choi, J-A., Luo, Y., and Green, K. (2022) Hate Speech Spikes on Twitter After Elon Musk Acquires the Platform. School of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works (Online). 33. pp.1-11.
Sayogie, F., Farkhan, M., Zubair, Z., Julian, H., Hakim, H., and Wiralaksana, M. (2023) Patriarchal Ideology, Andrew Tate, and Rumble’s Podcasts. The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies (Online). 29. pp.1-12.
Internet Matters. (2023) “It’s really easy to go down that path”: Young people’s experiences of online misogyny and image-based abuse (Online). London: Internet Matters Ltd. Available from: Online misogyny and image-based abuse research report (internetmatters.org)

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Third annual colloquium European society of criminology working group on radicalization, extremism, and terrorism
• Start Date: Feb 2, 2024
• End Date: Feb 2, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2024
• Keywords: Misogyny, online, extremism, sexism
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11717990
• Additional Information: Co-authors: Bowers, C., Etherton, K., James, J., McCready, C. and Smietanko, E.