The variety of Britons utilizing X, previously referred to as Twitter, has plummeted since Elon Musk’scontroversial takeover two years in the past.
A brand new report by Ofcom reveals that UK adults visiting the platform’s app or web site dropped from 26.5 million in 2022 to 22.2 million in 2023, reflecting a major exodus.
The findings from Ofcom’s annual On-line Nation report counsel rising dissatisfaction with Musk’s management, significantly amongst Left-leaning customers disillusioned by his political affiliations and coverage adjustments.
Musk’s outspoken assist for Donald Trump, together with his endorsement of Trump’s presidential candidacy and lots of of promotional posts to his 200 million followers, has provoked criticism from UK customers. Musk has additionally waded into UK politics, labelling the nation a “tyrannical police state” and warning of a possible “civil war.”
His choice to reinstate banned accounts, together with far-right figures resembling Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins, and his “light-touch” moderation method, has additional alienated customers. Critics argue that these insurance policies have allowed hate speech to proliferate on the platform.
Moreover, Musk’s emphasis on paid subscriptions—resembling boosting posts from verified customers who pay a month-to-month payment—has drawn backlash, with many accusing him of eroding the platform’s accessibility and person expertise.
Matt Navarra, a social media guide, attributed a part of the decline to Musk’s rebranding of Twitter to X:
“The redesigns and the rebranding including the switch from Twitter to X have also played a role. It broke its cultural currency. Stripping that away left many users disconnected.”
Competitors from rival platforms has intensified. Reddit noticed UK utilization leap by 47%, attracting 22.9 million guests as of Might 2023. Threads, the microblogging platform launched by Meta, now boasts 5.3 million UK customers and has gained 35 million customers globally since November. Bluesky, one other competitor, added 7 million accounts in beneath a month following Trump’s re-election marketing campaign.
x’s demographic shift and additional challenges
X stays extra standard amongst males, who make up 63% of its UK person base. Nonetheless, each day lively customers of the platform’s app have dropped considerably, from 6.9 million in November 2022 to five.2 million in November 2023, based on information from Similarweb.
In distinction, platforms like YouTube, Fb, and Instagram preserve their dominance as the highest three social media providers by attain within the UK. In the meantime, TikTok has skilled a 13% development, reaching 24 million UK customers.
Ofcom concluded: “Although X remains the highest-reaching micro-blogging service, its UK adult reach continues to gradually decline.”
With opponents like Threads, Bluesky, and TikTok capturing disillusioned customers, X faces growing stress to retain relevance. The platform’s controversial political affiliations, coverage adjustments, and model overhaul might proceed to erode its person base except strategic adjustments are made to revive belief and engagement.
