After Elon Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly known as Twitter), the social media platform initially experienced users flocking to other platforms, causing a decline in its usage. Although both Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino claimed that users were returning, a recent report contradicts these assertions, indicating a gradual decline over the past year.
According to data from market intelligence firm Similarweb, X’s global website traffic decreased by 14% year-over-year in September, while Android usage was down by 14.8%. Interestingly, traffic to Elon Musk’s profile and posts on X saw a 96% year-over-year increase in September.
X is not the only social platform to experience a decrease in usage, as Similarweb’s data also shows that other major social networks faced declining web traffic. Twitter’s performance was notably worse in recent months, down 14% in September, although Facebook was not far behind with a 10.4% decrease in web traffic.
Regarding mobile apps, several leading social networks saw a decline in engagement in September, but X experienced a more significant decline.
Despite the decrease in usage, X remains one of the largest social networks. It continues to be one of the most trafficked social network and online community domains, despite trailing behind Facebook in website traffic.
Elon Musk’s vision for X involves transforming the platform into an all-encompassing app. This has involved implementing a subscription-based model, launching additional features, and rebranding as X.
X has emphasized its traffic increases, citing 500 million posts per day, including original content, replies, and reposts. The platform also claims to generate 100 billion impressions daily. Additionally, X reported that users are spending 14% more time on the platform, with a 20% increase in video consumption, and daily sign-ups have reached 1.5 million, a 4% year-over-year increase.
In summary, while X has faced a decline in web and mobile app usage, it remains one of the largest social networks, and the company is actively working on its transformation under Elon Musk’s leadership.
