X sees largest user exodus since Musk takeover

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Nov. 13, 2024, 4:40 PM EST


On the day after the election, Nov. 6, X experienced its largest user exodus since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022. And now, users are flooding to alternative text-based social media apps like Bluesky and Instagram’s Threads. Those numbers appear to be climbing, as users and brands like The Guardian and Don Lemon continue to announce their departures from the platform.

NBC News spoke to six people who have joined or committed to using Threads and Bluesky in place of X after the election because of Musk. Each of them cited growing issues on X, including bots, partisan advertisements and harassment, which they all felt reached a tipping point when Donald Trump was elected president last week with Musk’s support. Musk has since joined Trump on calls and in meetings to weigh in on his transition to president.

For Kara Wurtz, a 39-year-old finance director in St. Louis, the day after the election was the “final straw.” After using Twitter for “a good eight years,” Wurtz said under Musk’s leadership, the platform, renamed X, “became a place where I wasn’t really getting what I wanted out of it anymore.”

“Every time I opened it up, it would throw things at me that put me in a bad mood,” she told NBC News. “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.’”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/x-sees-largest-user-exodus-musk-takeover-rcna179793

[MajorPayne]

1. Everyone gets their own bubble.

Conservatives have a safe place. Liberals have one, too. Fringe groups get their own as well. Then nobody has to hear someone else’s version of reality. Sounds okay?

[jfz9580m]

5. I wouldn't mind listening to conservatives

I am well to the left but I do think it is important to listen to people with views that are different within reason if it is at least honest engagement.

But there has to be a threshold. I can listen to a person like this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Mace

I cannot listen to a person like this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Boebert

One shouldn’t have to argue about absurdities.

[MajorPayne]

6. Agree.

I’am fighting with my iPad lately. It was supposed to be a (?) not ending with a period.

I think we all can get locked up over perceptions on why someone's doing something. More so when the trust level is low. Trump, well, he’s a smidge easier to see what his plan is. But, we (Biden) had some head scratcher appointments too.

That former senior Department of Energy, guy, Sam Brinton who dressed like a woman and loved to steal suitcases at the airport. He was a little weird.

Mayor Pete. Nice guy. But not really ‘The guy’ for Sec.of Trans.

We had more…

But Matt Gaetz? Found the ( ? )mark tab this time. I’m still smh. No Frick’n way will he get through. And if he did. You, me, and most of us regular people don’t have to worry. There is a long list of attorneys, judges, reporters, and investigators that Trump would sick Gaetz on. After that it’s gotta be time to eat their own tail when Gaetz goes in search of people inside the DOJ and FBI who Trump believes burned him.

We be fine. Democracy wins.

[Ilikepurple]

8. Are you just coming after his LGBTQ+ appointments?

God forbid you appoint a nuclear engineer to job in the office of nuclear energy. Stealing suitcases is weird. Weirder that you stealth misgender them. come for them for wearing dresses. Not so weird is that you also come for Pete B “the Guy”. Tell us how you really feel. Now that the Trump win seems to have given permission for all parties to up our bigotry.
That being said, I’m all for hearing all sorts of points of view. I just thought there might be another way to say it.

[MajorPayne]

19. I will take your way of seeing and saying it...it's just different to millions though.

I’m not a Conservative or Progressive, maybe a little more leaning Liberal Democrat. I voted vote KH. But I’m probably more like the individuals that got polarized with all the ‘misgendering’ slap downs and misguided School Boards with agendas to keep information about their kids hidden from the parents.

We all can do and say a lot about adults. But when kids get tossed into the mix and used as tools for political ideologies. The fur starts flying - and rightly so. I am more angered at the misleading media and their attempts to sway information towards those who pay them well.

I believe the extreme right and the hardcore Progressive Left want us, who are caught somewhere in the middle, fighting and hating each other. Our distraction is music for them as they toil about making money off decisions making behind our backs.

Hypocrisy, is a familiar mistress to both the Right and Left. We all call out each side for doing what we or they were doing just moments earlier. It’s our side vs their side. Say whatever you want, whether truthful, half truths, or a complete lie. Just as long as we’re chucking furniture at each other. It’s all good.

Maybe if each side owned some of the BS that is nothing more than overwhelming absurdities to a lot of people, people who vote. Possibly, the power struggle wouldn’t be so far a part.

Just saying…

[Ilikepurple]

29. I'm looking for the hardcore progressive left money making machine?

Although this is a somewhat eloquent response, in the original post you obviously misgendered a non binary person as a guy and a gay man as not really being a “guy” in the original post. I’m curious why you felt you needed to do that? To get one of the infamous misgendering slap downs? Most trans people respond to mistaken misgendering differently than purposeful. Even more curious, your original response was somehow in response to a people leaving X thread. If it wasn’t your intention, then that could have been included in your reply rather than some giving some generalized political bothsider minifesto.

[MajorPayne]

32. Thanks for the tips...

About the misgendering. Believe me. It’s not with nefarious or meanness. It’s actually by confusion. And I’m not alone.
I think, from what I’ve read of the many postings and replies here. Way before I decided to join in a short while ago. Most people are well intentioned, well spoken, and well meaning. I’m not here to judge anyone, though some might be quick to post judgments upon me for mistakes. I’m okay with that. Learning something different isn’t always a bad thing. And just possibly, I might end up helping others learn more about the types of individuals who, might be more like me, than you. And they voted, just not in the way we had hoped.

[Ilikepurple]

33. Thank you for the thoughtful and wise reply

It’s easy to get misunderstood. The modern gender trends can be really confusing. Just try to use the pronouns people choose. The rest here isn’t directed at you, but mor to explained why I’m perplexed the pronoun politics got so much traction. Of course you “they” singular is something most have to get used too. Also, I know that people have been chastised for unintentionally misgendering individuals, but the ratio of unintentional to intentional misgenderings are relatively low. I’ve known people across the political spectrum that much prefer their given name or an alternate nickname and people have almost universally accommodated them. Your name’s Pete, I think you mean Peter. Using people’s preferred pronouns should not be a political issue. I’m nearing retirement age and hope to learn more everyday about how to be better to others, intentionally or unintentionally. I’m not perfect at that either. I also believe my understanding of the world stops when I stop listening to others, especially with whom I disagree. Thank you majorpayne for extending this conversation in a fruitful manner.

[jfz9580m]

9. Agree-democracy wins

Gotta have faith in the resilience of democracy even in the Idiocracy..

[groundloop]

25. Pete Buttigieg has done an outstanding job as Sec. of Transportation

I'm sorry you can't see that.

[Crowman2009]

27. Yeah, it's one thing if they have some sort of academic argument.

It's quite another when they're an arrogant asshole who has to talk over everyone.

[erodriguez]

10. The media*s reliance on twitter set the daily news cycle

Since Musk became owner of Twitter, he has set the daily news cycle.

He helped Trump immensely with his platform.

The exodus is not about finding a safe space, it's about not supporting an enemy and using his tools.

BTW, there are plenty of places to hear GOP talking points. In fact you can hear it every day on every major network.

[Nimble_Idea]

16. don't let the tesla driving, musk funding crowd see this post

you might get canceled.

[Fords Crackpipe]

23. +1. No one is obliged to subject themselves to online harassment & violence.

The "your body my choice" crowd can go fuck themselves.

In fact, they've done nothing BUT live in a bubble since at least 2016 and now they control all 3 branches of gov't.

I've already moved to BlueSky. Fuck Elon Musk and fuck his circle jerk fanboi club.

[Nimble_Idea]

20. people also provided him the billions he used to establish fascism by driving telsas and being on X

only themselves to blame.

I give no fucks.

[PedroXimenez]

15. Twitter being some kind of "town square" is just marketing

people are realizing it more and more. Twitter is not the "free exchange of ideas", it's bots and trolls and Nazis, and manipulated by a billionaire to his ends. It 100% makes sense for people not to subject themselves to that.

[hunter]

22. There will be no oxygen in those MAGA bubbles...

... and that will be the end of them.

[NJCher]

2. Speaking of a mass exodus

I read where the Washington Post lost 10 per cent of its subscriber base.

That’s huge, especially when the cost of attaining a new customer is considered.

[MajorPayne]

3. It's fairly common right after an election...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/business/media/msnbc-fox-news-ratings-election.html

Meaning: don’t read more into it than necessary.

[NJCher]

7. Your link has a paywall

And the title alone doesn’t appear to support what you’re trying to say.

You can’t tell me that every election a newspaper loses 10% of its subscriber base. That’s absurd.

[MajorPayne]

11. Sorry about the paywall.

Try this… https://san.com/cc/news-ratings-down-after-election-msnbc-sees-54-fall-cnn-down-36/

I didn’t say (all newsprint) loses 10% after an election, did I?

I said don’t make a bigger deal about something, like you posted, because it’s common after an election. If you don’t understand that. Then read about people losing interests, temporarily, in things they sought out for their influence, interests, entertainment, and news.

[mdbl]

12. But this time some might be wiser and stay away alltogether

I only going to read the Guardian from now on.

[Lonestarblue]

4. I think it will keep losing subscribers.

I’m still there because my subscription runs well into next year so I may as well read it. They are still sane-washing Trump but do have a few columnists I enjoy.

[bucolic_frolic]

13. I love the subtle understated ambiguity

" Musk has since joined Trump on calls and in meetings to weigh in on his transition to president."

Which one is transitioning (great choice of verbs, considering how the right loathes the idea) to president?

[Nimble_Idea]

14. it is also about active users

platforms make it hard to delete accounts, and users can't be bothered (like me). there are millions of fake and zombie/abandoned accounts I'm guessing.

[purr-rat beauty]

21. Good....haven't been on shitter in ages

I'm on Bluesky now but don't need more social media right now, don't even want to watch the news.

fuck musk, fake hair wearing daddie's boy dickhead

( for the record, I'm bald )

[NBachers]

24. My reading comprehension must be slipping. I'm finding more posts that I have to read several times over to understand.

[LearnedHand]

26. It could actually be a tipping point and not the general turnover after an election

I have the sense, but no hard evidence, that this was a tipping point election when it comes to the news and information ecosystem. I think this applies to WaPo and Twitter, in fact. I was so proud that WaPo changed their tagline in 2016 to Democracy dies in darkness. Now it looks like highest satire AND rubbing it in readers' faces. And as for Xitter, the cost of staying over leaving has become too high. These indicate tipping points.

[DonCoquixote]

28. let us not forget

x, and for that matter facebook, as something that has been mixed with algorithms mean tot lead you along a path. If you are aware of it, it can be used safely, but if you are not, left, right, does nto matter, but you are just reduced to a rat in a cage pressing a button for food pellets

and here I post the noist famous example of why algorithms are dangerous. Just because a number repeats doe snot mean it is true, it is meant to fool your brain into thinking it is true

[LPBBEAR]

30. I blocked

x.com this morning.

I use Pi-Hole on my internal home network. https://pi-hole.net/ Its a network wide ad blocking system that allows you to control most ads and customize a block list.

I hear people saying they shouldn't have to be forced to leave twitter. I'm not buying that argument. Twitter/X is owned by a scumbag. If you continue to use it you are essentially supporting Elon Musk. Its time to have some backbone and pull the plug and move on.

You still have a choice at this point. Use something else.

[4th]

31. Not Elon's primary business.

Did he ever make profit with it?
He wanted it as a propaganda platform and was willing to pay.

And goddam it he got what he paid for.