Has X Been Dethroned? The Dynamic Landscape of Social Discourse Networks

While X (formerly Twitter) continues to pose difficult questions for its users, including journalists and advertisers, Threads and Bluesky are seeking to fill the void. 

The launch of Meta’s Threads app in July 2023 arrived with much fanfare, as the new social media channel quickly amassed 44 million daily active users (DAUs). Initially, the engagement on Threads stagnated. However, as users began their exodus from X (Twitter), Threads began to see a resurgence in interest. 

By the end of 2024, Threads reported to TechCrunch that it had reached 100 million daily active users and is expected to continue this growth. This rapid increase in daily active users puts Threads in a position to catch up to X.  

(The daily active user count for X remains a subject of debate, as X reports its DAU count is increasing, while Social Media Today and other sources report that X is stuck at 250 million daily active users with numbers projected to decline.) 

So while Threads still has a ways to go to overtake X in terms of users, a study from Buffer found that Threads drives 73.6% more engagement than X, suggesting that Threads may have an advantage over social network formerly known as Twitter. 

What’s New with Threads? 

• Meta announced to Verge in December 2024 its plans for future updates including: custom user feeds and the ability to choose your own default feed, inspired by Bluesky. 
• While the platform remains ad-free for now, there is discussion surrounding the possible addition of ads in 2025, as reported by Verge. 
• Threads announced its deprioritization of political discourse on the platform, prior to the 2024 election, according to Social Media Today. This decision has resulted in politics-related content being restricted by default for users, leaving questions as to whether Threads will emerge as the primary real-time discussion social network for news, as Twitter once was. 

What About X (The App Formerly Known as Twitter)? 

X, following Musk’s acquisition of the platform, has created problems for itself thanks to a series of changes made internally. 
 
Misinformation and disinformation have become more prevalent in the last year. A BBC journalist who covers disinformation, reported: “The volume of misinformation on Twitter [X] was beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” And another study conducted by the BBC found that X had the biggest proportion of disinformation compared to five other major social networks. This spread of misinformation is often a result of X users who have paid for blue checks, as reported by Verge. In addition to the appearance of credibility from the blue check, those users’ posts are algorithmically boosted by X. The Verge also revealed these users also profit from higher engagement, which offers a perverse incentive for them to post enraging content, which often drives interaction. NBC News reported that numerous studies have shown hate speech has increased on X following its acquisition by Musk.

And The New York Times found that major advertisers—including IBM, Apple, and Paramount Global—stopped spending on X, after controversial posts from Musk. And daily X users are down about 16%, per the Wall Street Journal. While X still has a higher user base than Threads or BlueSky, the decline in user engagement and recent policies regarding suppression of external links have resulted in many users and journalists seeking out new platforms. 

Studies from Campaign and NBC News found that X is no longer viewed as a valuable resource for individuals seeking breaking news as Musk has made the platform a difficult place for journalists to share their work. Alternatives like BlueSky have emerged, offering a different take on the social media model and allowing those leaving X an opportunity to explore a new platform designed to facilitate conversation. 

Where does Bluesky fit into the competition? 

Bluesky was developed by Jack Dorsey while he was CEO of Twitter and has positioned itself as the next up-and-coming platform for community discussions. In a recent interview with NBC News, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, revealed that while Bluesky only has 25 million daily users, there are multiple features within the app’s algorithm that are attracting individuals separating from X.  

Social Media Today highlighted these features, including the ability for users to create their own customized feeds with a chronological timeline that promotes breaking news and conversations. Bluesky also adopted trending topics to add to the Twitter-esque feel of the platform, with Graber stating in her interview with NBC that, “Bluesky aims to be a healthier place for conversations online with no constraints on types of content.” 

These features have demonstrated the platform’s appeal to the news industry and journalists, with reports from Press Gazette and Campaign revealing publishers are receiving better referral traffic and engagement on the platform and more than 81% of journalists on Bluesky posting regularly compared to only 42% on X.  

While Bluesky still has a way to go in terms of size of user base, it seems the platform is quickly becoming more and more competitive in the social discourse sphere.

This begs the question: Which platform is the best investment of time and resources? 
 
What Are Brands and High-Profile Users Doing? 

Some reporters are actively trying to rebuild their followings on Threads, including big names like CNN’s Jake Tapper. But Tapper, for one, is posting on both—and he still has many times more followers on X (2.8M) than Threads (300K).  

Other journalists have begun exploring Bluesky, as journalists shared with NBC News that they felt Bluesky was more welcoming and produced better engagement for their articles. Ashton Pittman, an award-winning journalist for the Mississippi Free Press, told NBC that their content on Bluesky, “is getting 20 times the engagement or more than Twitter,” and he believes, “a social media platform that doesn’t throttle links really makes it clear how badly we were being limited.” 

Many businesses are following this migration or adapting by posting similar or sometimes identical content on Threads, Bluesky, and X at the same time. Samsung Mobile, for example, posts more often on X, but publishes a subset of their content on Threads. Honda, by contrast, appears to be moving in the opposite direction: posting more on Threads than on X. And brands such as Hulu and Duolingo have taken to posting organic content on Bluesky to appeal to their audiences there. 

In sum, a clear winner has yet to emerge among these rival social discourse networks.  

What About LinkedIn? Yes, LinkedIn… 

Amidst all this online churn, LinkedIn has been quietly growing, now boasting a community of over 1 billion members, suggesting that while some social media channels make a lot of noise, other, more staid ones continue to grow. 

In fact, a recent article in Fast Company reveals the appeal for businesses and individuals alike to turn to LinkedIn as an adequate replacement for X. An article from Slate also argues this point stating, “LinkedIn was once a mess of self-righteous business-speak, but its convergence with Twitter has made it the obvious replacement for the Musk-run app. We can pretend it’s too lame for our social media purposes or embrace the inevitable: All communication is professional and LinkedIn is all that we deserve.” 

So, What Should You? 

With the social media landscape in flux, it is vital for professionals to focus clearly on where their audiences are online. 

• PR professionals should determine whether the reporters they need to reach have transitioned away from X to newer spaces like Threads or BlueSky.
• Marketers should pinpoint where their potential and current clients are most active and consider if Threads offers a better channel to reach them. Or, as Slate argues, is LinkedIn the best place for online communication for your brand and your subject matter experts?
• And for B2C brands, give Pinterest another look.  

In sum, the keys for navigating the volatile social media landscape are awareness and flexibility. Be aware of the behavior of your audiences and remain nimble enough to pivot to where they are. 

This article was researched and edited by our intern Kaeley Vaughan.