By Mata Press Service

More than half of Canadians say that billionaire Elon Musk’s planned takeover of Twitter would lead to an increased spread of hate speech and misinformation, according to a new poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute.

A self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”, Musk has taken issue with Twitter’s content moderation, which he believes stifles free speech and “fundamentally undermines democracy”.

With around 229 million active daily users, Twitter is much smaller than competing social networks such as Facebook and TikTok, which are used by billions. But Twitter punches well above its weight in terms of influence because it is used so frequently by celebrities, journalists, and political figures, reports the Washington Post.

Musk’s bid has attracted many investors, with right-of-centre politicians cheering his potential acquisition.

“There are sharp political divides on perceptions of this matter. As in the United States, where right-of-centre politicians cheered Musk’s potential acquisition, a majority (63%) of past Conservative Party voters on this side of the border believe it will be beneficial to free speech were the sale to go through. Three-quarters (74%) of past Liberal voters and seven-in-ten (70%) who voted NDP worry about the proliferation of abusive speech,” said the Angus Reid Institute (ARI).

In Canada, hate crimes targeting the Black and Jewish populations remained the most common types of hate crimes reported by police, representing 26% and 13% of all hate crimes, respectively. These were followed by hate crimes targeting the East or Southeast Asian population (11%) and those targeting a sexual orientation (10%).

“Musk’s takeover over Twitter is very worrying especially for new Canadians and immigrants, who bear the brunt of hate crimes and hate speech,” said a social media analyst in Vancouver.

Amnesty International has tracked the disturbing persistence of hate speech on Twitter – especially violent and abusive speech against women and non-binary persons.

“The last thing we need is a Twitter that willfully turns a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against users, particularly those most disproportionately impacted, including women, non-binary persons, and others,” said Michael Kleinman, Director of Technology and Human Rights at Amnesty International USA.

All this comes as Canadians’ use of social media climbs, but perceptions of the platforms themselves decline. Indeed, half (47%) say their use of social media has increased in the last few years – possibly as a substitute for the lack of in-person contact during periods of pandemic social distancing, said ARI.

This represents more than double the number who say they have used social media less in recent years (20%). For the most popular platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok – perceptions are more likely to have worsened than improved. Facebook suffers most on that front, with half (51%) of Canadians saying their opinion of that platform has worsened in recent years.

Key findings from the Angus Reid poll;

• Men (16%) are nearly three times as likely as women (6%) to say they will use Twitter more if Musk takes it over. Women (13%) are much more likely than men (6%) to say they will instead delete their account.

• Of those who have quit using at least one social media app in recent years (32% of Canadians), one-quarter (25%) say it was to protect their mental health. Most say they just lost interest (55%)

• Past Conservative Party of Canada voters (20%) are much more likely than other partisans to say they’ll be Tweeting more in the event of a Musk takeover.

• Overall, nine in ten (90%) Canadians surveyed say they use Facebook regularly, including two-thirds (67%) who use it daily. Self-reported daily use rises for older respondents, ranging from a low of 35 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, to a high of 77 percent of those over the age of 64.

• Among popular social media platforms, Canadians are most likely to have abandoned their Twitter account. One in five (23%) of Canadians who used Twitter at previously have left the platform.

• Two-thirds (65%) of Canadians say they have been following the takeover and having conversations about it, while one-third (35%) are either scanning headlines or not reading about it at all. Men are much more likely than women to be following this story, and young men especially – 84 percent of men aged 18- to 34-years-old have been discussing Musk’s Twitter takeover with friends and family:

• Canadians are more likely to believe a Musk-owned Twitter would lead to an increase in volumes of hate speech and misinformation than be good for free speech. Half (53%) of Canadians expect more hate speech and misinformation on the platform if Musk’s takeover succeeds. Two-in-five (39%) believe it would be good for free speech.

• Men and women are likely to be on opposite sides of this matter. More than half of men under the age of 55 believe Musk owning Twitter will be good for free speech. Meanwhile, at least three-in-five women of all ages believe there will be a proliferation of abusive Tweets.

Previous Angus Reid Institute research finds that women are particularly at risk for abuse online in the form of sexual harassment, insults on their appearance, and stalking.

The Trudeau government is proposing legal changes intended to curb online hate speech and make it easier for the victims of hate speech to launch complaints.

The proposed Bill C-36 includes an addition to the Canadian Human Rights Act that the government says will clarify the definition of online hate speech and list it as a form of discrimination.

– with Agencies