Twitter Fatigue: The New Norm?
Disengagement from X (formerly Twitter) appears to be the new norm, as a new survey reveals that six in ten United States users admit to taking significant breaks from the platform in the last year alone. One in four users speculate they may not be using X at all year from now.
The Pew Research Center conducted this comprehensive survey with U.S. adults from March 13-19, 2023, roughly five months after Elon Musk acquired the site. The study reveals that 60% of Americans using X in the past 12 months have taken a break from the platform for several weeks or more.
There were noteworthy differences in disengagement behavior based on gender, race, and ethnicity. Among current and recent X users, women (69%) were more likely than men (54%) to have taken a break from the platform during the past year. Additionally, Black users (67%) were more likely to have taken a break compared to their White (60%) and Hispanic (54%) counterparts.
40% of participants claimed they were extremely or very likely to still be using the platform a year from now, while 35% said they were only somewhat likely.
However, a significant 25% reported feeling not very or not at all likely to still be using X within the next 12 months. Interestingly, women (30%) were more likely than men (20%) to express uncertainty about remaining on the platform, while men (47%) were more inclined than women (31%) to report that they would likely still use it.
Additionally, partisan differences were observed, with a more significant share of Democrats or liberal-leaning users (29%) expressing doubts about X usage in a year compared to their conservative GOP counterparts (20%).
The Mass Exodus: Not Just Individuals but Entire Communities
Interestingly, this trend towards digital retreat is open to more than individual users. In a study published in the Trends in Ecology and Evolution Journal ‘s August 15th edition, Dr. Charlotte Chang from Pomona College discovered significant changes in the former “Twitter-sphere” following Elon Musk ‘s acquisition of the platform, later rebranded as X.
Her research found that nearly 50% of X users focused primarily on environmental discussions—often referred to as “Environmental Twitter”—decided to halt their activity on the platform within a mere six months of the takeover.