More than half of respondents to The Logic’s February subscriber survey use Twitter less since Elon Musk’s takeover in October, though most of them haven’t sought a replacement platform. 

The social media landscape has shifted dramatically in the last year. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter led to major changes to the platform, prompting questions about whether users (including some of its founding team) would stay or opt for alternatives. Meta also altered its Instagram and Facebook feeds to compete with TikTok’s, though it rolled back some changes after user opposition. TikTok itself has been banned from many government devices around the world, including in Canada’s federal and Quebec governments, and its data practices are under investigation by a group of Canadian privacy commissioners.

So The Logic asked readers if they’re using social media differently during this period of upheaval.

LinkedIn was the most popular platform by far, with 89 per cent of respondents saying they use it, while 59 per cent said they use Instagram. (Participants could select more than one platform.) Some subscribers even said they’d increased their use of LinkedIn and Instagram to make up for less time on Twitter.

Twitter received 54 per cent of the votes, while Facebook and WhatsApp each got fewer than half, at 45 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively. Reddit and TikTok were less popular, at 27 per cent and 17 per cent.

Many respondents said they were unhappy with changes to Twitter. About 52 per cent said they’ve used the platform less since Musk took over, while about 26 per cent said their usage stayed the same and 20 per cent don’t use Twitter at all. Only a tiny proportion, 1.5 per cent, increased their use. 

“Although I left Meta’s properties years ago, I had set up Twitter to be my well-filtered news source and my go-to social platform. Musk’s moves as he took the company over pushed me off the platform indefinitely,” one subscriber wrote.

“While I still use it for keeping an eye on what’s happening, it’s not the trustworthy source it used to be for me,” another said. “So many users have left due to both the ownership and increased venom that many have faced since Musk took over.”

Of the subscribers who said they’d decreased their time on Twitter, few said they’ve found alternatives. About 70 per cent reported simply using Twitter less, while 21 per cent found a new platform and roughly nine per cent started using another platform more often. Replacements of choice included Mastodon or Post, while others said they found themselves spending more time on LinkedIn and Instagram.

One respondent said many of the “interesting people” in the digital-policy, security and disinformation spaces whom they followed on Twitter were already on Mastodon. “I miss using Twitter as a news feed, but not enough to condone or support Musk by using it, or deal with the increasing unpredictability,” the reader wrote.

Others said they were subscribing to digital news sources to get news updates similar to those on Twitter, or had cut down on social media use altogether. 

In a question about which social platforms subscribers found essential, LinkedIn again came out on top, with about 61 per cent of the votes, followed by WhatsApp at 39 per cent, Instagram at 24 per cent and Twitter at  17 per cent. 

Facebook was at 15 per cent—slightly ahead of Reddit, at 11 per cent. About 20 per cent selected “None,” indicating that no social media network was essential.

Respondents gave some qualifications to their answers. One subscriber said Facebook’s Marketplace—where users can buy and sell items from people near them—and Messenger are still key services. “There is no good replacement for that scale of network that’s accessible,” the person wrote, adding that Instagram also helps to maintain friendships.

Another praised Reddit: “Reddit is the most essential on this list—I never post there but it’s the best place to find an answer to a question.”

Subscribers also indicated that a platform’s community matters most when they’re deciding whether to stay. Thirty-seven per cent said it was most important to have their professional community on a platform, while 35 per cent said staying in touch with friends and family was most important. 

A smaller group, 16 per cent, said it was most important to stay up to date with news. One respondent said they want a platform to stay up on “important scientific discoveries” and ongoing debates, as well as public opinion. “I am still trying to find a platform or combination of platforms to meet those requirements,” the reader said.

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Methodology

The Logic emailed subscribers a private link to an online survey on Feb. 21, and the survey closed Feb. 24. Respondents’ identities were kept anonymous. Subscribers were asked “Which social media platforms do you use and check regularly?” with the following options:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BeReal
• Mastodon
• Telegram
• Snapchat
• Discord
• WhatsApp
• WeChat
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• None
• Other: 

They were also asked, “How did your time spent on Twitter change, if at all, since Elon Musk’s takeover in October 2022?” with the options: “It increased,” “It stayed the same,” “It decreased” and “I don’t use Twitter.” If they answered “It decreased,” then they were asked, “Have you sought alternatives to Twitter?” with the following options: “Yes, I’ve found a new platform,”

“Yes, I’ve increased use of another platform I was already using” or  “No, I simply use Twitter less.” 

Subscribers were then asked “Which of the following platforms would you consider essential?” (they could select more than one, unless they chose “None”) with the following options: 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• BeReal
• Mastodon
• Telegram
• Snapchat
• WhatsApp
• WeChat
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• None

Finally, they were asked, “What is most important for making you stay on a social media platform? (If you answered that no platform is essential, tell us what would be most important.)” The options were: “It’s addictive and/or entertaining,” “My friends and family are on the platform,” “My professional community is on the platform,” “I use it to stay up to date with news,” “I use it to market my business,” “I use it to promote my own content” and “Other.”