The vibe on X, formerly Twitter, has shifted. It has always been a place where tempers flare. It has always been a breeding ground for misinformation. But now, users feel the toxicity has spiked. They are leaving. The question is no longer if the platform is getting worse. It is whether it can be fixed at all.
Elon Musk bought Twitter in late October 2022. Since then, headlines have been relentlessly negative. Musk has made questionable statements on sensitive topics. He reinstated banned accounts like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump. He dismantled the Trust and Safety team. This team used to moderate content. Now, many advertisers and regular users are turning their backs on the app.
Measuring the Ruder Tone
Is this just a feeling? Or is the hate actually measurable? Experts say it is measurable. Axel Bruns, a media researcher at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, says the platform is being overrun. He points out that actors spreading disinformation are flooding the space.
“The platform is now being overwhelmed by actors who spread misinformation and hate.”
Bruns confirms that the number of discriminatory terms has increased. This includes antisemitic slurs and unreliable sources. It has gone up significantly since Musk took the helm.
The changes drive this trend. The moderation teams are gone. They used to target criminal or questionable content. Now, those teams are gone. Accounts that spread hate have been unbanned. The blue verification checkmark is now for sale. It used to signal official accounts like government leaders or serious media outlets. Now, anyone can buy it. This makes profiles look more credible. It also boosts their visibility in the algorithm. Your posts get seen by more people. They are presented as trustworthy. That is not always true.
Users Vanishing in Droves
These changes have caused a measurable exodus. Sign-ups on alternatives have skyrocketed. Platforms like Mastodon, Threads, and Bluesky are seeing huge increases in new users. This is observed by media researchers globally.
There is a specific trend in Germany. Curd Knüpfer from the Free University of Berlin notes an exodus of German users. He links this to Musk’s perceived antisemitism. He also points to the sharing of AfD (Alternative for Germany) content. Ferda Ataman, Germany’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, recently announced she was leaving the platform. This adds weight to the departure.
Advertisers are also leaving. They do not want their ads next to extremist content. They do not want their brands next to antisemitic posts. They do not want to be associated with child pornography. Revenue from ads has been cut in half since the takeover. Experts estimate the platform is worth at least two-thirds less than the $44 billion Musk paid. No one expects the value to recover. The consensus is that Musk will sell it later for much less money.
Is X Still Salvageable?
Theoretically, it is not too late to fix the tone. It could stem the user loss. But Musk and his team do not seem to care. They defend these changes. They call it free speech policy. They are not reversing the worst effects.
State institutions are trying to intervene. Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner is pushing back. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton is demanding action. Their influence is limited. Musk does not seem to listen.
This explains the departure. Users are looking elsewhere. For those staying, Bruns offers advice. Be extremely careful with facts on the platform. The decay of the medium is real. If you want to push back against disinformation, share posts from professional news outlets. It helps balance the ratio of serious to unserious content. It is a small act of resistance.
The platform remains. The users are leaving. The value is dropping. It is unclear what happens next. The experiment continues.
