X competitor Bluesky has rocketed to the top spot on the Apple App Store’s U.S. chart, as many users of Elon Musk’s platform deactivated their accounts in the wake of the US presidential election.

Los Angeles

Elon Musk's social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, has seen a notable decline in its user base, reportedly losing more than 115,000 users the day after the US presidential election. This has been recorded as the largest single-day user departure since Musk acquired the platform. At the same time, Bluesky, an emerging competitor, has gained traction, acquiring approximately 2.5 million new users, which boosts its total user base to 16 million. This surge has led Bluesky to top the US chart on the Apple App Store.

The departure from X is coinciding with the fragmentation of the social media landscape, which some describe as similar to the proliferation of TV channels in the past. This diversification allows users to gravitate towards platforms that align with their preferences, potentially fostering echo chambers. While right-leaning accounts on X witness significant engagement, others are moving to platforms like Bluesky and Threads, hinting at a splintering effect in user demographics and behaviors.

Although the user base of X is shifting, it continues to serve as a pivotal platform for breaking news and immediate public discourse. However, competitors like Bluesky and Threads present opportunities to attract significant user communities. The ongoing conversation revolves around whether users should remain on X, considering Musk’s strategies and possible political implications, or shift to alternatives that may better reflect their values.



Wave of users quit Elon Musk's X

Now, even as Musk finds himself moving within Donald Trump's inner circle, his $44 billion investment, X, formerly known as Twitter, has seen a significant number of users leave the platform. More than 115,000 deactivated their X accounts the day after the election — that's the largest single-day exit since Musk took control. At the same time, millions of new users are signing up for BlueSky, a direct X competitor. On Thursday, BlueSky said it had gained about 2.5 million new users, bringing its total to 16 million. And Brian Stelter joins me now, he is CNN's chief media analyst. Good to see you, my friend. I mean, it's difficult to know, I guess, since X doesn't really release data anymore, but reportedly it's been the largest user exodus from X since Musk bought the platform. How big, how significant? Well, it's so significant that some longtime Twitter users are noticing that their follower counts are dropping fast. That's an indication that some people are literally just deleting their X accounts and signing up for other services. At the same time, though, some politically popular right-wing accounts are seeing tons of engagement. So I think what we're really seeing, Michael, is a splintering effect in social media. You know, for a long time, this sector was controlled by a couple of big players. It's kind of like going from three or four TV channels in the U.S. to 30 or 40. We're seeing the same thing happening in social media now, this splintering effect. It may be good. It may be bad. I could argue it's a bad thing because people might be retreating into their own echo chambers, liberals retreating from X, not wanting to hear conservatives and setting up shop on Blue Sky or Threads instead. But you know, that's been happening for years with Trump's Truth Social, for example. So this is not a one-sided story. This splintering effect has been happening for a while now, and it was accelerating as a result of the election. Yeah. And you mentioned one of the main competitors. We're talking about Threads and Blue Sky, a million new users for Blue Sky after the election. Threads now, I think it's up towards 300 million active users. Blue Sky, I think, is the number one app on the Apple Store at the moment. Do either of the competitors have a window to form a realistic alternative in terms of number and numbers, and more importantly, perhaps influence? Well, I think X is still the default for breaking news, for eyewitness accounts, for online rage baiting. But these competitors do have an opportunity right now to build up big audiences. And social networking is all about the network effect. You know, when you have more users, you gain more users. It's a domino effect that's happening. And Blue Sky is really benefiting from that right now. I've been watching it happen hour by hour this weekend. You know, right now, these are X refugees who are quitting X because they believe that being on X is helping Musk and not just helping Elon Musk, but helping Musk with a highly partisan political project. And they're not necessarily wrong about that, right? Musk has changed X in dramatic fashion. But again, I have hesitation about leaving the platform. I know other journalists, some other journalists do as well. It's very much an open debate right now. If you are on Elon Musk's site, are you helping? Are you hurting? Are you contributing disinformation? That's the conversation that's happening in real time.

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