Why Leaving Twitter is Okay and Other Strategies to Win
Let’s face it X or Twitter, or whatever you want to call it these days — is an absolute:
And people have left.
According to a Pew Research spring 2023 survey, 60% of U.S. adults who had used Twitter in the past year said they’d taken a break from the platform in that time. The survey was fielded about five months after Musk’s purchase of Twitter.
Among those who had used Twitter in the 12 months before the survey, women were more likely than men to say they’d taken a break from the platform (69% vs. 54%). And Black users (67%) were more likely than their White (60%) or Hispanic (54%) counterparts to say the same. (There were not enough Asian American Twitter users in the sample to analyze separately.)
Not only have PEOPLE left. News organizations and brands have left, too. Most notably, we all remember the NPR controversial exit earlier this year.
In April 2023, NPR left Twitter for good. According to NPR, NPR cited Twitter's decision to first label the network "state-affiliated media," the same term it uses for propaganda outlets in Russia, China and other autocratic countries.
Now, NPR is talking out about whether or not leaving has had any affect on their coverage and traffic to their website, and the details are quite interesting.
From NiemanResearch: A memo circulated to NPR staff says traffic has dropped by only a single percentage point as a result of leaving Twitter, now officially renamed X, though traffic from the platform was small already and accounted for just under two percent of traffic before the posting stopped.
For news organizations, stepping away from real-time social media platforms during breaking news can be highly detrimental. It hinders their ability to report on the news and gather sources from a platform known for its real-time reporting.
But, according to this article from NiemanResearch, this incident prompted NPR to explore alternative ways to provide real-time updates. They chose to return to an throwback method and started a blog to deliver live updates. More specifically, instead of rejoining Twitter, KCUR opted for a live blog and shared updates on other social media platforms. NPR editors worked with the station to refine SEO and promote the story.
So, how do you leave Twitter and still remain relavant in real-time:
One way is indeed starting a blog and using that to update your users.
Other folks are leaving Twitter for other popular ~ new ~ platforms like BlueSky (source: techtarget)
Hold live streams on other platforms during breaking news (TikTok, Instagram have great options)
This will be interesting to watch as time goes on. How will we live in a world with less X/Twitter? How will news organizations live without it? And, what will Elon Musk do when he realizes more and more people are leaving the platform?