Disinformation: Thousands Leave X After Election, Media Outlets Too
NEW YORK, NY(ANI) – After the election that confirmed Donald Trump’s victory, social media platform X witnessed its largest user exodus since Elon Musk acquired it in 2022, with users migrating to alternatives like Bluesky.
News outlets have also begun quitting X, once a favored site but now accused of enabling the spread of disinformation under its owner, Trump ally Elon Musk.
More than 115,000 US users deactivated their X accounts the day after the election, and this figure only includes those who deactivated through the website, excluding mobile app users, digital intelligence platform Similarweb reported.
This shift follows Musk’s influential role in the US presidential election. Bluesky’s user base has doubled in 90 days, reaching 15 million after gaining 1 million new sign-ups in a single week.
Musk spent months using X to support Trump.
Researchers report increased use of sexist language on X, such as “your body, my choice.”
Additionally, Musk’s previous changes — cutting moderators, restoring banned accounts, allowing racist and Nazi accounts, and altering the verification system to boost anyone who was willing to pay regardless of what they posted — all of which helped to tank the company’s core ad business.
Notably, prominent journalists Charlie Warzel, the New York Times’ Mara Gay, and former CNN anchor Don Lemon announced their exit from X this week, joining Bluesky.
British news publisher The Guardian announced it is quitting X, citing concerns over Musk’s influence during the US election process. In a statement on November 13, The Guardian said it will no longer be posted from any official Guardian accounts on the site. Further, it said that the recent US election underlined its view that X is a “toxic” platform, and that Musk uses it to influence politics.
The Guardian has more than 80 accounts on X with approximately 27 million followers.
Meanwhile, everyday across Europe, publications are dropping out of the site and heading Bluesky and Reels
