Twitter alternatives are gaining popularity, and displacing X as the primary news-sharing platform could be easily achieved
Whenever Elon Musk is involved in controversial actions, Bluesky, an emerging social media platform positioning itself as an alternative to Twitter or X, experiences a noticeable increase in new users. Although Bluesky currently operates on an invitation-only basis, it has garnered over 1.5 million users, and its user base is steadily expanding. Twexit, a website monitoring the migration from Twitter to Bluesky, has observed spikes in users redeeming their invite codes in recent months.
Since Elon Musk took control of Twitter over the past year, there have been significant surges in new user registrations coinciding with key events, such as Twitter’s transformation into X, Musk’s announcement about removing the block feature, and his proposal to introduce a subscription fee for users.
Interestingly, when X removed headlines from shared news articles, there wasn’t a noticeable increase in activity. Furthermore, there hasn’t been a substantial influx of users expressing concerns about misinformation and violent content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict on X.
However, there has been a gradual increase in daily posting on Bluesky since September 19th, although it currently constitutes approximately 10% of the total registered user accounts, amounting to around 150,000 users.
Likewise, in the past week, Platformer’s Casey Newton and others have observed a resurgence in activity on Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter, after an initial decline in excitement following its launch. Users have become more vocal in expressing concerns about Threads’ performance, as highlighted by Newton on The Verge.
While this assessment primarily relies on the perceived increase in followers, Similarweb, which initially recorded a significant drop in Threads’ usage post-launch, has noted a slight rebound in the past two weeks, as indicated by Android app data.
A recent CNN thread, where journalists were invited to identify themselves on the platform, generated over 2,000 responses and garnered more than 6,000 likes. While this may seem modest compared to highly popular Twitter accounts, it signals a growing interest in Threads potentially evolving into a professionalized news platform.
Nevertheless, the intentions of the organizations behind Threads or Bluesky remain unclear. As Newton points out, it wouldn’t be challenging for Threads to incorporate features like lists, hashtags, trending topics, and a TweetDeck-like interface to align with media preferences. However, it has been evident (and not entirely surprising, given Meta’s track record) that these platforms are not explicitly designed as news-centric spaces, and Meta has historically struggled to consistently meet the demands of the media.
News deemed ‘too risky’ to publish
During the preceding week, Adam Mosseri, who leads Instagram and also oversees Threads, stated that Meta doesn’t object to the presence of news on the platform, but it won’t be given promotional emphasis.
Mosseri clarified, “News is certainly present on Threads. Users can share news and follow accounts that share news. We won’t hinder either of these activities. However, we also won’t actively boost or highlight news on the platform.” He mentioned that such a strategy would be considered too risky, particularly given the platform’s current developmental stage, potential drawbacks of overemphasizing news, and associated implications.
Twitter has never been a major source of traffic for journalism websites. NPR revealed last week that its departure from the platform resulted in only a 1% decrease in traffic over the past six months. Nonetheless, Twitter remained valuable for its role in breaking news, enabling on-the-ground tracking during emerging crises or news events, and facilitating real-time monitoring of ongoing reporting.
What currently sustains X is the fact that its competitors are still rudimentary versions of Twitter. For example, Bluesky is exclusive and lacks video capabilities, while Threads doesn’t incorporate hashtags, and neither platform offers direct messaging features. Nevertheless, Threads has recently made significant progress by introducing voice posts and an editing function within the last week.
The wider Techscape
Manisha Ganguly and Hibaq Farah from The Guardian conducted an investigation into the extensive spread of disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas war online.
The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried is highly intriguing, with Caroline Ellison’s testimony, the former CEO of Alameda Research and Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend, being particularly astonishing.
The California Delete Act, allowing individuals to request data brokers to delete the information they hold, is likely to be closely monitored by other jurisdictions worldwide.
ChatGPT has reached its one-year milestone. Assessing the impact of this AI on various fields is worthwhile.
In a separate report, it has been suggested that AI chatbots could potentially be used to plan a bioweapon attack, which is a concerning development.
Digital wallets have gained significant popularity in Australia, accounting for approximately 35% of card transactions. The Australian government is now considering regulating digital wallet services like Apple Wallet and traditional card providers. This may set a precedent for other countries.
The billionaire space race, with the world’s wealthiest individuals venturing into low-Earth orbit, has raised questions about the eventual cleanup of the mess they leave behind.
The Microsoft $69 billion takeover of Activision-Blizzard has concluded, marking the conclusion of a significant business saga.