The Decline of X: Challenges Facing the Social Platform

X, formerly Twitter, struggles as a social platform due to declining community engagement and advertiser concerns under Elon Musk.

### Twitter's Decline Under Elon Musk's Leadership
* 🌐  Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter has become a single-issue platform focused on Musk's politics and the culture wars, **neglecting other communities** that used to thrive on the platform.
* 👥  Normal users are finding it harder to engage with topics like football, music, and books, as **new people are not joining these discussions**.
* 📉  Engagement levels have dropped, with even active users like the journalist mentioned only spending an average of **19 minutes a day** on the platform.
* 💰  Musk has expressed a lack of concern for advertisers, stating that he views Twitter as an **arena for free speech** rather than a business reliant on **advertising revenue**.
* 🏛️  However, the platform still needs money to survive, and the post-election period may pose challenges as **attention shifts away from political discussions**.
* 📉  The future of Twitter's utility and appeal to a broader user base is uncertain, as it increasingly caters to a **niche audience** focused on Musk's activities and political views.

Why does it reek of a failing social platform for many? With the Trump discussion, it's one of the most active it's been for a while. Well, this is a phrase. Anthony Bourdain, as you said, used to describe restaurants that were going under. And the way he described it was it wasn't they'd go under overnight or even for a few months or a while. But there's something in the air when there's a place that isn't quite right. And I said that applies to X, formerly known as Twitter, of course. And it's for many reasons. I think what's happened on that network since Elon Musk took over quite clearly is it's become almost a single-issue network for Elon Musk's politics, this issue of that, the culture wars as we describe it, and what has what is happening less on X is some of the communities that made many normal people want to use it in the first place. So for talking about football, talking

about music, talking about books, whatever, those communities are finding it harder to interact with each other. And certainly, no new people seem to be joining to join in those discussions in a way they might have done previously. If you go to your own ex page, you haven't been posting since 2023, but you were almost forced to re-engage with the platform for this story, and then, you know, Musk re-engaged with you. Yes, quite so. I haven't posted, yeah, for almost a year. And that was based on my feelings towards what my feed was showing me in terms of the types of content I was getting without following certain users. And I didn't feel like it was a yes. So. Well, this is something I'm not saying to me today or mentioned me about today. I checked my screen time. It's actually an average of 19 minutes a day this week, and that was only because I downloaded the app to listen to his conversation, his interview with Donald

Trump earlier in the week. So without that, which went on for almost a couple of hours, I think my time would actually be very, very minute. I check in on it to see what's happening. I'm a journalist; of course, I need to do that. But in terms of engaging with the network, I think its usefulness has gone now. But I think it will continue in some form for a while. But in terms of this useful utility for people, I think that era is behind us. DAVIES You know, I use a lot; I spend a lot of time on the platform. I share a lot of my reporting. I don't see a lot of data supportive. That video does very well when I show video to the content. And it's interesting; one of the communities that does well there is Tesla, of course, but your issue in the opinion piece is about advertising, advertise of flight in money.

Does Musk even care about the advertisers? Is it even a priority for him to have revenue growth? It's a basic question. I mean, look, we've seen what Elon Musk has said directly to advertisers in words that we can't repeat on air, only to then a couple of months later now, so to be suing some advertising groups in order to, say, punish them for boycotting the platform. I mean, look, I think Elon Musk is quite sincere when he says he doesn't care if advertisers don't want to advertise on his platform, given he thinks it's now this sort of arena for free speech. But the problem is he'll need to care, right? I mean, this is a website that needs money to survive. As rich as Musk is, it still needs to be a functioning business. And I think that's going to be Twitter's problem as we go past the election, because right now I think a lot of the

attention on it is to do with the presidential election. Once the votes are counted, people may yes.

X's Failing Social Network Syndrome: Bloomberg Opinion

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Bloomberg Technology

X has struggled since Elon Musk's takeover, becoming focused on his political agenda and the culture wars.

This shift has led to a decline in the diverse communities that once attracted users, making it harder for people to engage in common interests.

The platform's changing dynamics have resulted in a lack of new users and meaningful interactions, causing some long-time users to disengage.

Elon Musk's Impact on Twitter's Advertising Strategy

Elon Musk's engagement with Twitter has shifted, with the platform's usefulness for users declining.

Despite Musk's dismissive attitude towards advertisers, the platform's need for revenue growth remains crucial for its survival.

The tension between Musk's free speech agenda and the necessity of attracting advertisers poses a challenge for Twitter's future.

The presidential election is a focal point of attention.

Once the votes are counted, the outcome will be revealed.

The election results have the potential to significantly influence people's decisions and opinions.