God, give me the strength to accept what I can't change," Jamie Lee Curtis wrote about her decision to leave the social network X (X).
The actress is among several famous names who left Elon Musk's platform this month, citing right-wing, misinformation and lack of moderation. "I tried to stay, but the atmosphere became too toxic," said writer Stephen King.
X-odus, or X-it, as they call this mass departure, saw an average of 60.000 account deactivations per day last week, according to Similarweb data, leaving a void in the lives of many workers. Professions like teachers (#edutwitter) and doctors (#medicaltwitter) have used the network, once known as Twitter, to foster community and share ideas. She provided insightful commentary on office life and a way for freelancers to promote themselves and network. Now many are abandoning the resource that helped them in their careers and asking where else they can find similar benefits.
Organizations like "Balenciaga" and "Gadijana" also withdrew. In an editorial, the British newspaper stated that the US presidential election highlighted what had long been believed: that "X is a toxic media platform, and its owner Elon Musk has managed to use its influence to shape political discourse." In response, supporters criticized the withdrawal as an outburst of anger from progressives. Iks did not respond to a request for comment.
From a work angle, James O'Brien, LBC radio presenter and writer, said X had become less productive, with few well-intentioned responses, and "dirty content being prioritized in your feed over people who might actually be interested in you". . For those who value "interaction, pluralism of opinion and good manners," he said, "it has become almost unbearable." Now he posts more often on Bluesky, a new platform that has seen a surge in users as people leave Ix.
Rhett Butler, CEO of Mongabay, a non-profit environmental organization, says he started noticing Twitter's declining performance in November 2022, a month after Musk bought it. In addition to declining activity, there were "more negative interactions, accusations of bias and other challenging dynamics" that "made the platform less bearable for the employees who manage it."
LinkedIn has become a popular alternative. "As a nonprofit, we prioritize understanding who is consuming our reports and how they are using that information, rather than focusing solely on the number of visits," says Butler.
Oncologist Tatjana Provel used Twitter to share knowledge about cancer. During the pandemic, she used it to highlight new data, helping "the public and colleagues stay informed." She is one of the founders of Healthcare Workers vs Hunger (@HCVvsHunger), a friendly competition that has raised more than $2,3 million for food banks.
Many leave a resource that helped them in their career and wonder where else they can find similar benefits
Now she started publishing on Bluskaj. “It works like Twitter a few years ago. The exchanges were more productive and the atmosphere more positive," says Provel. However, she will remain on Ix because she can get feedback from patients and "people deserve reliable, balanced and understandable information about science and health".
Other people in public office made a different decision. North Wales Police has left Twitter because it has become "increasingly difficult ... to communicate timely, accurate and relevant information", Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said. Patrick Hurley, a British MP, believes that X is now promoting "an agenda that is at odds with the values of the British people, fueling clicks through anger". He believes that Facebook and Nextdoor are more useful for contacting voters, while Bluskaj is good for people who form opinions and connect with colleagues.
Although they face the loss of a large audience by leaving Iks, some creatives believe they have no choice: the platform no longer serves a purpose. "My impression is that the toxic nature of X works against the desire to spread joy through reading," says Johnny Geller, CEO of talent agency Curtis Brown Group. Novelist John Niven puts it bluntly: "Its use for publication and book promotion no longer justifies wading through an ocean of filth."
Comedian John Harvey, better known as Count Binface, believes the flood of "unsolicited content" has had a material impact on networking and idea generation. "A lot of the stuff I do is reactive, improvising based on what I see in my feed," he says. "As the algorithm became more harmful, I saw a lot more tweets from users I didn't follow."
However, while many have migrated, finding audiences and serendipitous opportunities can be more difficult on other platforms. Fashion blogger Kamil Šarier, who has more than a million followers on Instagram, left Ix after the US election, but misses the text-based platform. "I feel like a fashion influencer on Instagram. On Iks, I was able to connect with people who didn't look at me like that".
The opportunity to provoke different opinions was also lost, according to Harvey. "As much as Bluskaj seems like a new beginning for many, there is probably a price that must be paid if different parts of society retreat to their safe spaces."
Translation: A. Š.
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