Fri Nov 15 13:50:00 IST 2024: ## Twitter Exodus: Users Flee to Alternatives After US Election
Following the contentious US election, Twitter, now rebranded as X, has experienced a significant user exodus. The platform saw its largest user departure since Elon Musk acquired it in 2022, with many users citing concerns about bots, partisan advertisements, and harassment.
The day after the election, November 6th, witnessed a surge in users joining alternative social media platforms like Bluesky and Instagram’s Threads. These platforms, seen as more welcoming and less prone to misinformation, have seen millions of new sign-ups in the past week.
Among the reasons cited for leaving X, users expressed dissatisfaction with the platform’s direction under Musk’s leadership, particularly the increased prevalence of bots, partisan content, and harassment. The election results, with Musk publicly supporting the winning candidate, further amplified these concerns.
“Every time I opened it up, it would throw things at me that put me in a bad mood,” said Kara Wurtz, a user who switched to Threads. “I noticed Tuesday night into Wednesday I started to see a lot more anti-woman stuff. And I was like, ‘You know what? That’s personal. I’m done.'”
Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform, has seen its daily traffic surpass that of Threads, while Threads has also recorded significant user growth. Notable groups like Taylor Swift fans, known as “Swifties”, have also migrated to Bluesky, citing a more positive environment.
Experts like Rory Mir from the Electronic Frontier Foundation highlight the importance of user control over the platforms they rely on. “What people are seeing with X is that it has subjectively deteriorated in value,” said Mir. “People don’t feel like the right boxes are being heard or promoted on the site. They don’t feel safe using the site in many cases.”
While some users are hesitant to abandon their established presence on X, the platform’s new terms of service policy, which explicitly allows the use of user content for AI training, has further fueled concerns about data privacy and user control.
The exodus from X signifies a growing trend of users seeking alternative platforms that prioritize a more welcoming, less toxic, and user-controlled environment. As the migration to platforms like Bluesky and Threads continues, it remains to be seen whether these alternatives can effectively address the issues that drove users away from X and create a more sustainable and ethical social media landscape.
First Piper 