While Elon Musk claims record X engagement, we’re seeing a dramatic active X user decline across the US, UK, and Europe. While Musk still desperately attempts to prove to people that X is simply a growing platform, the opposite of his claims is themselves posing serious questions about X’s long-term sustainability, as the platform’s user numbers decline in correlation with his controversial statements that are starting to completely transform what X used to be.
Since rebranding Twitter as X, Elon Musk’s platform has witnessed a big drop in its global user count across many major markets. Similarweb new data shows that while the UK has lost 30% of daily active users, in the US, it’s a reduction of around 20%, from 8 million users down to 5.6 million in the UK and from 85 million to 71 million in the US. A recent report said there has been a 5 percent drop in the user base in Europe, too. Experts attribute much of this to Musk’s polarizing commentary and highly publicized political views, such as his controversial “civil war” remark amid unrest in the UK, which reportedly led to an exodus of UK users.
X’s Strategic Discount Moves
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X has launched an aggressive promotional offer to counteract this decline: all subscribers get a 50% discount. X has offered discounts, but this major discount tells us they’ve really stepped up the game to get more people subscribed and more engaged while activity is shrinking. According to this approach, X reacts to user loss, putting an effect on it, and then tries to adjust its strategy.
Musk’s Take on X’s Performance
The numbers might be large, but Musk still points to things like user seconds — that time spent on the app — as signs of success. X, which he’s also promoted as a top ‘news app’ based on its ‘news’ classification from 2016, makes it stand out against newer, smaller news apps. These metrics, however, don’t tell the whole story. This struggle with falling ad revenue and user engagement even persists for X as it tries to roll out new features like the Grok AI chatbot to lure more people.
Brand Image vs. Brand Identity: The Challenge for X
But X’s fight underscores a disconnect between what the outside world thinks of the platform (X’s brand image) and what Musk thinks of it (X’s brand identity). Not all strong brands have strong brand images, and particularly when they make decisions that alienate key user groups. In that regard, Musk’s alignment with political figures has contributed to a growing brand image, which clashes with the platform’s stated purpose to be an open, friendly social network for X.
The Bigger Picture of X User Decline
Musk’s public support for Trump may offer some strategic help to X if he wins because, if he wins, he won’t have to worry about regulations for his other ventures. But if Trump loses, Musk will have to take a look at whether X is on the correct path if user decline persists.
What’s Next for X?
With falling user numbers and revenue, X’s future remains uncertain. If X’s performance doesn’t improve, Musk may have to rethink what the platform will focus on, think about selling it, or pull back its offerings, experts say.
Is Musk taking a gamble on his brand vision in X to get users back? But, as the gap between brand identity and image grows, constant user growth seems harder to get.
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