X: User figures for the social network plummet

Things have not been going so well at the social network X (formerly Twitter) since a certain Elon Musk took over the reins. Or maybe it has, at least the short messaging service has become a constant companion in daily reporting. For example, because former managers are claiming damages in the hundreds of millions from Musk. Things don’t look rosy for X in terms of user numbers either: According to a study, these are said to have plummeted by a whopping 30 percent between 2023 and 2024.

X/Twitter is running out of users

X/Twitter’s user numbers are said to have fallen by a whopping 30 percent between 2023 and 2024. At least that’s what Forbes reports, citing a study by Edison Research on user behavior in the USA.

According to the Infinite Dial 2024 survey, only 19 percent of Americans will still be using the short messaging service in 2024. Last year, as in 2022, it was still 27 percent – a decline of a whopping 30 percent.

This figure is based on people who say that they actually use X and not on accounts that actually exist. However, according to Edison Research, there has also been a noticeable slump in weekly and monthly use of X.

This is in line with other studies from the past. For example, an analysis by Big Technology in October 2023 reported that X had lost around 13% of its daily app users since Musk’s takeover in October 2022.

Numbers upon numbers

Those responsible for X/Twitter, namely Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino, have become much quieter when it comes to details about the official user figures. Most recently, in January 2024, Yaccarino spoke of a total user number of 90 million in January 2024(via TechCrunch), but this cannot really be substantiated.

During Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, according to a report by X, there was an impressive new reach record for the social network. The number of posts and video views also “went through the roof”, the company proudly announced.

While this may definitely be true, a large proportion of the traffic generated during the biggest sporting event in the USA is not attributable to real users, but to bots and fake users.

Mashable notes this, citing the cybersecurity firm CHEQ, according to which a whopping 75.85 percent of the traffic that led from X/Twitter to the websites of advertising partners during the NFL final was attributable to fake users.

So it’s working for X/Twitter. Not.