Scientists suffering insults and mass-spam are abandoning Twitter for alternative social networks

As hostility and denialism towards climate change surge on Twitter following Elon Musk’s takeover, scientists are abandoning the platform and seeking alternative social networks due to insults and mass-spam. The influx of hate and misinformation on Twitter since October 2022, when Musk assumed control, has made it increasingly difficult for researchers to communicate about climate science on the platform they heavily relied upon. With policies addressing climate change gaining momentum, opponents of climate reform have organized resistance, further exacerbating the situation.

Peter Gleick, a climate and water specialist with a substantial following, announced on May 21 that he would no longer post on Twitter due to the platform’s amplification of racism and sexism. While he had experienced offensive attacks and threats in the past, he noted a significant increase in the amount and intensity of abuse in recent months.

Robert Rohde, a physicist and lead scientist at the non-profit environmental data analysis group Berkeley Earth, analyzed the activity of numerous climate scientists’ Twitter accounts before and after Musk’s takeover. The analysis revealed a decline in the impact of climate scientists’ tweets, with a 38% decrease in average likes and a 40% decrease in average retweets.

Twitter has not directly commented on the changes made to its algorithms that influence traffic and visibility. However, Musk’s tweet in January hinted at deliberate changes, suggesting that people on both the right and left should be exposed to opposing views.

Prominent climatologist Katharine Hayhoe conducted an experiment by monitoring responses to a climate change tweet before and after Musk’s takeover. She observed a significant increase, ranging from 15 to 30 times, in hostile comments and apparent bot activity pushing mass misinformation.

Hayhoe also noted a halt in the growth of her Twitter account since October, while it had previously gained thousands of new followers monthly. Faced with these challenges, scientists are exploring alternative platforms to continue sharing their research and engage with the public on climate change.