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Trump victory drives mass exodus from X

The flouncing season is in full swing on social media. Many users are leaving Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter. People are unable to just do something.

They have to tell the world and try to make a virtue of it. The trigger for the X exodus has been Donald Trump’s victory in the US elections. Musk’s role as one of the president-elect’s cheerleaders also played a part.

Many users couldn’t comprehend that celebrity endorsements, identity politics, and moral lectures weren’t enough to defeat Trump. Their impotent rage took the form of boycotting Musk’s “toxic” platform. The Guardian has been leading the flounce among media organizations in this country.

They cite concerns over “far-right conspiracy theories” on X. They also fear that Musk “has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”

The new playground for the flouncers is Bluesky. It looks and feels a bit like Twitter in the 2010s.

Many believe this shift means left-wingers and right-wingers can now play nice in their own echo chambers. One having its worldview confirmed in a self-satisfied bubble on Bluesky. The other confined to a seething, mouth-frothing bubble on X.

But it’s probably not that simple. They will soon start to miss each other and the dubious art of the social media “pile-on.” Despite what they claim, many people go onto such platforms to argue and abuse people. They often goad others into doing the same.

It will be dull for them when everyone just agrees and parrots the same views. Give it a few months and the culture war tribalists will be welcoming each other back with open arms – and carefully crafted insults. The Bluesky social network is not yet big enough to be considered a “Very Large Online Platform” (VLOP).

It is not subject to special obligations under Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA). But it’s already having trouble complying with the law. Bluesky has been flouting EU rules since February, according to European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.

EU member states have been asked to look into the matter and enforce applicable compliance. “Bluesky is not designated as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, as they do not meet the quantitative threshold for designation (45 million monthly active users in the EU),” said Regnier.

X users switch to Bluesky platform

“It does therefore not fall under the direct supervision of the Commission.”

Founded in 2021, Bluesky hasn’t publicly disclosed the number of monthly active users it has in the EU. This is part of the issue. Officially, Bluesky surpassed 13 million users in late October 2024, without defining what level of activity counts as a user.

Calculations by software engineer Natalie Bridgers suggest the number is closer to 22.5 million presently. The recent user surge at Bluesky has been attributed to dissatisfaction with Elon Musk’s X social media network following the US Presidential Election. Mastodon, a decentralized, federated social network, has around 920,000 daily active users.

X, which is a VLOP under the DSA, has 115.1 million average monthly active users in the EU. Adam Mosseri, who oversees Threads and Instagram for Meta, recently reported that Threads had reached 275 million monthly active users. Neither Meta’s Threads nor Musk’s X provide data that could be used to independently verify these statistics.

Bluesky’s user growth rate has been fluctuating between 3.4 and 4 users per second, according to Bridgers’s statistics. At 4 new users per second, it will take about 65 days to add another 22.5 million users and hit 45 million users worldwide. When Bluesky’s EU monthly active user count will meet the DSA threshold of 45 million remains uncertain.

Before reaching the VLOP status, Bluesky is under pressure to meet its existing obligations under the DSA. These include posting an official count of users in the EU and identifying a legal representative so authorities have someone to hold accountable. “Bluesky, like all online platforms in the EU, needs to comply with the general obligations of the Digital Services Act since February of this year,” said Regnier.

“This includes the obligation to appoint a legal representative in the EU. As this information is not publicly available on Bluesky’s website, the Commission has requested the national Digital Services Coordinators to gather additional information and enforce the DSA.”

The first step in this process will involve identifying a legal representative with whom to correspond. Officials are also keen for EU members to determine whether and where the app maker has any actual offices within the union.

In a comment after this story was filed, a spokesperson for Bluesky said: “We’re actively working with our lawyers now to ensure that Bluesky is compliant with the EU’s information disclosure rules.”

Meta, the social media giant, has been losing ground to the emerging platform Bluesky. Users are increasingly abandoning Elon Musk’s rebranded Twitter platform, X. The shift in user preference can be attributed to growing dissatisfaction with changes Musk has implemented since taking over Twitter.

These alterations have spurred a migration towards alternative platforms. Bluesky has emerged as a strong contender. Bluesky, a decentralized social network, promises users greater control over their data and a return to user-focused content curation.

These features have resonated with many former Twitter users who felt disenfranchised by Musk’s decisions. As Meta continues to compete within this shifting landscape, it is evident that the social media arena remains highly dynamic. Users are gravitating towards platforms that better meet their evolving needs and preferences.

Georgia Bartlett

Georgia Bartlett is a seasoned news writer with a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for details. With a career spanning over a decade, she has lived in New York City where she honed her skills in delivering accurate and captivating news content. Georgia's dedication to journalism shines through her meticulous research and compelling writing style, ensuring that readers stay informed and engaged.
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