Elon Musk, a prominent figure in the tech industry, has been accused of perpetuating false narratives about the success of Twitter in comparison to other social media platforms. Musk’s claims about Twitter surpassing Meta’s apps in usage are based on data from SimilarWeb, which measures web traffic. However, the figures provided by SimilarWeb only account for visits to Twitter’s website through a web browser, not including app usage. This is significant because Twitter reports that the majority of its users log in via mobile devices, meaning that the web traffic numbers are only a fraction of its actual user base. In reality, Twitter falls far behind Facebook and Instagram in overall usage, with Facebook boasting 8x the daily user count of Twitter and Instagram having 4x as many daily active users as Twitter.
One of the key points of contention is Twitter’s categorization as a “News” app in the Apple App Store, where it has held the top spot for the past eight years. This classification was a strategic move by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to pivot Twitter’s growth narrative away from the declining social media segment towards the thriving news category. While Twitter does host news content and publishers, it is primarily a social media platform reliant on user-generated material. This misclassification has led to misleading claims about Twitter’s success as the leading “News” app in various regions. It is essential to recognize that Twitter’s positioning in the News category is based on a strategic decision rather than its actual function as a news app.
Despite the misleading narratives surrounding Twitter’s success, the platform has not seen significant growth in daily active users since November 2022 when it reported 250 million DAU. While there has been an increase in monthly active users from 500 million to 570 million, the growth rate is not indicative of substantial interest. Twitter claims to have addressed bots on its platform, leading to potential skewing of growth figures. Additionally, Twitter’s reported daily user engagement has decreased from 30 minutes per day per user in March to 24 minutes in Q2. Furthermore, reports indicate a significant decline in Twitter’s revenue compared to the previous year. These factors paint a picture of Twitter’s struggling performance, contrary to the misleading claims perpetuated by Musk and others.
The narrative surrounding Twitter’s success is further complicated by Elon Musk and his supporters’ views on the platform’s purpose. Musk has been vocal about Twitter’s role in upholding free speech, which could explain why the platform’s performance is downplayed despite clear indicators of stagnation and decline. While Musk’s advocacy for free speech is commendable, it should not overshadow the factual representation of Twitter’s current status. Misleading claims about Twitter’s success not only distort the public perception of the platform but also raise questions about the integrity of the data highlighted to millions of followers.
The narratives surrounding Twitter’s success are fraught with misleading claims and misinterpretations of data. It is essential to critically assess the information presented by influential figures like Elon Musk and to question the framing of success in the tech industry. Twitter’s actual performance, characterized by stagnant user growth, declining engagement, and revenue, paints a less rosy picture than the narrative being perpetuated by Musk and others. Moving forward, a more nuanced and accurate understanding of Twitter’s status is necessary to separate fact from fiction in the evolving landscape of social media platforms.
Leave a Reply