Since businessman Elon Musk took control of the social network Twitter last October 2022, renamed X, the use and downloads of the application have experienced a drastic drop. Data from app performance manager Apptopia reveals that app downloads are down 30% since the beginning of July, compared to the previous two months.
This decline, which marks the lowest level in ten years, coincides with the rebranding promoted by Musk, who ignored conventional brand strategies and the wishes of his new CEO, Linda Yaccarino.
Compared to the same period last year, before the tech tycoon founder of SpaceX acquired the platform for $44 billion, downloads on Twitter have fallen 18%. The drastic decrease in the volume of downloads has been recorded in most countries, but especially in its main markets: the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. This marks one of the worst moments of interest in the platform since before the social network went public in 2013.
Another piece of information to take into account is that which is recorded in the records of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The app had been gaining between 15 and 30 million users a month since 2011 between August and September this year, it only gained 10 million users.
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So far in September, daily users stand at 249 million, 2% less than in July. In terms of monthly users, the platform has also lost a similar volume of traffic, standing at 393 million, compared to 398 million in July.
In addition to these problems, it is worth remembering that Elon Musk’s first day on Twitter resulted in the dismissal of the former management leadership. The magnate’s wave of layoffs took away 3,700 employees.
The decline in downloads and usage of X also coincides with changes pushed by Musk and his politically incorrect use of the app. The billionaire often trends on the platform, and has focused it more on his own image than serving as a place to stay informed or for broader public debate.
In addition, lax control measures have led to the rise of fake news and allowed xenophobic comments as the algorithm has been modified to prioritize posts and comments from paying subscribers.