The aftermath of a pivotal election on November 6, 2024, marked a turning point in the social media landscape. X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced unprecedented user departures, the largest since Elon Musk assumed control of the platform in 2022. Frustrated by mounting issues such as bots, partisan advertisements, and harassment, users began flocking to alternatives like Bluesky and Instagram’s Threads.
The exodus from X is rooted in discontent with Musk’s leadership and the platform’s direction, which many users found increasingly toxic. The election of Donald Trump, bolstered by Musk’s visible support and involvement in post-election transition meetings, became a tipping point for users. Several former X users shared their experiences with NBC News, emphasizing their frustration with the platform’s atmosphere and content.
For St. Louis finance director Kara Wurtz, the day after the election marked her breaking point. Having used X for eight years, Wurtz described her disillusionment with the platform under Musk, noting that “it became a place where I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it anymore.” She described how opening the app often left her in a bad mood, particularly as the content turned increasingly hostile and anti-woman in tone. Feeling that the negativity had become personal, Wurtz decided to leave. She has since found a new digital home on Threads, which has grown rapidly as her local community gradually migrates.
The exodus is far from isolated. Bluesky, another alternative platform, reported a surge of over one million new users in just a week, bringing its total user base to more than 15 million. This influx of users includes diverse groups, from Taylor Swift fans and wrestlers to city planners. Threads, too, has seen massive growth, with the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealing that the app has surpassed 275 million monthly active users. On November 6, Bluesky even outpaced Threads in daily traffic, securing its spot as the top free app on Apple’s App Store.
The migration has been fueled by users seeking platforms that better align with their values. Noëlle Polo, a 22-year-old from Texas who manages Taylor Swift fan accounts, highlighted her decision to join Bluesky over Threads. She explained that the platform provided a healthier environment, separate from her personal Instagram account. “Swifties have been looking for another app besides Twitter ever since Elon took over,” she said. “It just wasn’t a healthy environment.”
Other users, like privacy advocate Dr. Jorge Caballero, echoed similar sentiments. Having reactivated his X account sporadically since leaving in 2022, Caballero permanently deactivated it after the election. He found Bluesky to be a more effective space for connecting with journalists, community leaders, and science communicators. “It has enough of the journalists, the community leaders, the advocates, and science communicators that are necessary to effect change and inform the public. So far, it’s just right,” Caballero shared.
Despite the wave of departures, some users remain hesitant to abandon X entirely. Educator and author José Vilson described the challenge of leaving a platform that was key to his growth. “From a human perspective, it’s tough to leave a technology that was so beneficial to my growth,” he admitted. Similarly, Laura Sell, a marketing manager for Duke University Press, noted the difficulty of severing ties with X, where the press has over 50,000 followers. “It’s just so hard to leave,” Sell explained, adding that a complete departure might only occur if the platform’s issues worsened significantly.
The challenges of managing accounts on X have added to users’ frustrations. The platform’s new terms of service, which permit posts to be used for artificial intelligence training, have sparked concern. Privacy advocates, like Micah Lee, are developing tools to allow users to delete content across multiple platforms efficiently. However, concerns remain about losing control of one’s digital identity, as deleting an account may enable others to claim the username.