The Great X-odus: Why users are fleeing Elon Musk’s platform in record numbers (this time)

Similarweb also found that X attracted the most US visitors on the same day with a record 42.3 million visits to the platform.

Who has already left X?

Since Election Day in the US, several actors, directors, musicians, and journalists have left X for bluer skies, that is, the platform’s rival app BlueSky. The list of public figures who are among the millions migrating to BlueSky include Barbra Streisand, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cusack, Guillermo del Toro, Ben Stiller, Mark Hamill, Stephen King, Kumail Nanjiani, Colson Whitehead, and more, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Journalists, who are considered to be a key demographic of X’s user base, are also quitting the platform. “I once believed it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech but I now feel it does not serve that purpose,” former CNN anchor Don Lemon said in a public statement declaring his exit from the platform.

Besides individual journalists and public figures, news organisations are also deactivating their official X handles. The Guardian announced that it will no longer post content on X as “often disturbing content” is now posted on the site. “We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X,” the UK-based newspaper said.

La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper, also said it will stop posting on X, citing the rise in disinformation and conspiracy theories on the social media network. Other businesses such as American retailers Best Buy and Target have reportedly “quiet quit” X by pausing ads on the platform.

What is driving users to log off X?

This is far from the first time that X has seen a mass migration of users. In the past, Musk’s X rebrand of the platform and his controversial ‘blue tick‘ overhaul sparked the same reaction. However, this time is different as increasing politicisation and polarisation of the platform seems to be the deciding factor that is driving users to delete X.

With Musk set to assume a top position in Trump’s administration soon, users have cast doubts over his ability to separate himself and his politics from the platform. As a result, X is likely to have lost its appeal among its left-leaning users who are now keen to switch over to a more neutral platform.

A new study by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has found that X’s algorithm may have been tweaked to boost Musk’s account, along with those of conservative-leaning users, around the time that the billionaire officially announced his endorsement of Trump in July.

“The analysis of Elon Musk’s engagement metrics on X (formerly Twitter) reveals that Musk’s account exhibited distinct and elevated engagement patterns compared to other accounts, particularly around a key structural change on July 13, 2024,” the study found.

Researchers also observed “an engagement shift around the same date” when comparing Republican-leaning accounts on X such as Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Libs of TikTok, with Democrat-leaning users such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Bernie Sanders, Stacey Abrams, and others.

What are some other reasons users are leaving X?

Another major reason people are deleting X is that the platform recently changed its terms of service to state that all users agree to let their posts on the platform be used to train Grok, an AI chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI which has been rolled out on the platform.

The updated terms of service came into effect on Friday, November 15, and have sparked privacy concerns among users, according to a report by Forbes. Earlier, X users could opt out of having their posts used for AI training.

X’s change to the block feature is also considered a reason why users are quitting the platform. Previously, if you blocked someone on X, they couldn’t see your private or public posts, send DMs, reply or interact with you in any way. However, the updated version of the block feature now lets anyone you have blocked see your public posts while still preventing any interactions.

Other users have also pointed out that X has turned into an extremely negative and toxic platform as the lack of moderation has led to the spread of disinformation and a rise in hate speech on the platform, as per reports.

Is this the end of X?

The trajectory of X under Elon Musk is dotted with several dramatic pivots and controversies. The social media platform is now worth nearly 80 per cent less than when the Tesla CEO first bought it, according to recent estimates by investment firm Fidelity. However, a Pew Research survey found that a little more than half of its users (59 per cent) still get their news on X. So, are we witnessing the final chapter of what was once considered an essential platform for global discourse?

Not quite. Advertisers appear to be ending their year-long boycott of the platform post-Trump’s election victory. A news outlet called Watcher Guru recently posted that IBM, Disney, Comcast, Discovery, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate Entertainment have resumed their ad campaigns on the platform.

While there is no official confirmation of this development, advertisers might see strategic value in buying more ads on X to curry favour with its owner who is widely reported to have the US president-elect’s ear.

There is also the possibility that Musk and Trump could bring back ‘governing by tweet’. During his first term as US president, Trump’s Twitter feed became a powerful tool that he used to make important announcements and share his opinions until he was banned. Now, Trump has returned to a significantly transformed platform which is owned by one of his biggest supporters.

However, it remains to be seen if X will serve as Trump’s megaphone as the US president-elect is also financially invested in his own platform called Truth Social.