Ever since the US election results, there has been a noticeable exodus from Twitter (now X) to platforms like Threads and Bluesky. Around 35 million new users joined Threads in November, taking its total active users to about 275 million. For Bluesky, the total user base stands at about 22.5 million, with a rise of 500 per cent after the election results. Of course, this still pales in comparison to X’s active user base of 588 million.

While previous attempts to challenge X’s dominance have fizzled, including the one in India in the form of Koo, the current migration carries a unique momentum, driven by a perfect storm of user frustrations, technological readiness, and strategic timing by competitors. Much of the current concerns have been around the toxic and disturbing environment surrounding the US presidential elections and Elon Musk’s own politically aggressive postures. The platform’s treatment of competing viewpoints has become increasingly scrutinised. While Musk promotes X as a champion of free speech, his personal responses to critics, including temporary account restrictions and public mockery, have led many users to question the consistency of these principles.

Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/x-odus-bluesky-false-start-9701745/