New findings from Pew Research reveal that a quarter of Twitter users don’t expect to be using the platform in a year, with this portion rising to 30% for women and 29% for Democrats.
60% of Twitter users have taken a break from the platform in the last 12 months too, with numbers jumping up after billionaire and serial CEO Elon Musk stepped into the office.
This survey was released just days after the platform announced its new CEO, Linda Yaccarino. But with Yaccarino already facing backlash over her ties to Donald Trump, is this move enough to stop the social networking platform from hemorrhaging users?
25% of Twitter Users Aren’t Expecting to Stick Around
As Twitter descends further into chaos, new research from Pew reveals that six in ten US users have left the app for several weeks or more within the last 12 months.
Musk’s rein hasn’t impacted demographics evenly either, with 69% of women and 67% of black users temporarily leaving the platform, compared to 54% of men and 60% of white users. Despite Musk’s polarizing political opinions, however, there weren’t any major differences by political affiliation.
But taking a hiatus from a social media app is normal, right? Well, while fluctuation is within the norm, the survey reveals that lots of US users aren’t planning on coming back, with a quarter of respondents expecting to ditch the platform permanently within the next year.
People dropping Twitter isn’t really news, though. Musk taking over the company sparked an exodus of 1.3 million users, with many regular users, celebrities, and companies alike defecting to alternatives like Mastodon and Discord.
Unfortunately for Twitter, its issues didn’t stop there. In recent months Twitter has been riddled with technical issues, from Tweetdeck repeatedly crashing to internal links breaking temporarily across the site. The Tesla Chief’s prioritization of free speech over content moderation and removal of legacy blue ticks has been a spark plug for many users too.
A lot of companies have decided to suspend Tweeting too. After being falsely labeled as “US state-affiliated media” in April, news outlet NPR decided to leave the platform, reflecting similar moves made by CBS News and KCRW last year.
Can Twitter’s New CEO Save the Platform?
After 10 million people voted in favor of Musk stepping down as chief executive in a somewhat humiliating display, the billionaire agreed to step aside once he found someone “foolish enough to take the job.”
His successor, Linda Yaccario — an ex-NBCUniversal Global chief and former appointee of former President Donald Trump — was appointed earlier this week. As Twitter struggles to retain advertisers, Yaccarino’s impressive marketing credentials could prove to be useful.
However, her right-wing political beliefs have already stirred up controversy among Twitter users. Also, with Twitter already suffering so much reputational and financial damage, it’s yet to be determined if this leadership switch-up will be enough to patch up the platforms sinking ship.
