New insights into Twitter’s user engagement trends have been revealed by Pew Research, showing a rising tide of digital fatigue among the social media app’s user base, particularly after Elon Musk’s acquisition. As per the study, there’s a sizeable fraction of Twitter’s active users who foresee a future where they won’t be tweeting at all 12 months from now.
Focusing on the shift in usage, Pew Research highlights that six out of ten Twitter users in the U.S have taken a sabbatical from the platform in the past year. This includes some of the most active tweeters, whose activity declined following Musk’s takeover.
Image source: Pew Research
The research particularly sheds light on user demographics. Female and Black users, along with Democrat voters, lead the pack in reducing their Twitter usage in the last year.
Twitter’s most enthusiastic users, those who made up the top 20% by tweet volume pre-Musk era, have seen a sharp decrease in their posting habits. These power users tweeted 25% less on average in the months following Musk’s acquisition, an intriguing statistic given that eight out of ten of these users remained active even after Musk’s takeover.
The study also asked participants about their likelihood to use Twitter a year from now. Although a large portion responded affirmatively, an alarming 25% expressed low or no likelihood of being active on Twitter in the coming year. This finding puts a dent in Twitter’s expansion plans and its potential to attract more advertisers.
Also read: Twitter’s Evolution: The Acquisition Of Laskie & Musk’s ‘Everything App’ Vision
Despite this, Twitter still sees significant activity from a small group of users. The research found that post-Musk acquisition, a mere 20% of U.S adults have been responsible for generating 98% of all tweets.
Furthermore, most of Twitter’s audience engage in a ‘read only’ mode, with a tiny fraction taking up Twitter Blue, highlighting a key flaw in Musk’s expansion plan. Also noteworthy is the increased mention of Musk by users after his acquisition.
These findings are indeed fascinating glimpses into Twitter’s evolving user behavior, as the platform navigates through the challenges brought on by Musk’s vision and cost-cutting measures. As a new CEO steps up, one can only wait and watch how Twitter adjusts its flight path.
This article is based on an article from Social Media Today.
