Entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently dived into researching a theory he had about the social media landscape.
Cuban stated that the platform formerly known as Twitter, now referred to as X, had taken a more conservative turn in recent years.
He shared a post from a user named Vince Langman, who identifies as “ultra MAGA,” referring to the “Make America Great Again” slogan famously associated with former President Donald Trump and his most ardent supporters.
Langman’s comment on Cuban’s poll about Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump suggested that X was predominantly MAGA territory.
In response, Cuban conducted a poll on X asking if it was indeed “MAGA country,” with 66.1% of nearly 240,000 respondents agreeing.
He then compared the results with a similar poll he conducted on Threads, a rival platform owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, noting significant differences in outcomes and responses.
Cuban observed that X tended to have more divisive and hate-filled interactions compared to Threads, which he attributed to the diversity of topics and higher quality political engagement on Twitter.
Despite acknowledging Twitter’s greater size and engagement, Cuban highlighted the challenges of having meaningful political discussions due to bots and trolls overwhelming conversations.
He explained how the presence of extreme viewpoints on both ends of the spectrum was more balanced on Threads, while Twitter often saw MAGA bots disrupting conversations.
Notably, a 2023 Pew Center study reported a polarization in opinions about X since Elon Musk’s acquisition, with Republican views turning more positive while Democratic sentiments became more negative.