Elon Musk’s Awkward Questions
Elon Musk is no stranger to stirring up controversy on Twitter, and even though he recently became the platform’s biggest shareholder, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to hold back on his thoughts about it.
In a recent tweet, Musk quoted a tweet about the most followed accounts on Twitter, and asked, “Is Twitter dying?”
This simple question has sparked a lot of discussions online, with many people wondering if Musk is right about Twitter’s decline. After all, Twitter has been struggling to grow its user base and engagement levels in recent years.
Is Twitter Dying?
The short answer is: no, Twitter is not dying. At least not yet.
Twitter’s user base has been on an upward trajectory since the platform was founded in 2006.
According to its Annual Reports published on the Twitter Investors Relations page, the platform has been experiencing year-over-year growth in the number of active users even in recent times. Growing from 154 million monetizable daily active users in 2019 to 217 million monetizable daily active users in 2021.
Twitter’s key metric is its monetizable daily active users (a.k.a. mDAUs), that is, the DAUs it can advertise to. Its monthly active users are way more—estimated at around 350 to 400 million.
The platform’s user growth may have started to slow down in recent years, but the platform is still seeing an increase in the number of people using it.
What Does Inactive “Top” Accounts Mean for Twitter?
While it’s true that Twitter has been growing its user base, Musk’s question about the platform’s future remains a valid one.
First, there’s no denying that the majority of the platform’s top accounts rarely share any content on the platform. For example, Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) who has the second most followed account on the platform posted just once between January and March 2022.
And then there’s Tailor Swift (@taylorswift13), who has the sixth most-followed account on Twitter, and she hasn’t tweeted since January 2022.
So what does this mean for the platform?
It’s tough to say for sure what this means for Twitter. On the one hand, it could be a sign that the platform is losing its hold on celebrities and other public figures. On the other hand, it could simply be a reflection of the fact that users are more active on other social media platforms. Which is not breaking news and thus does not qualify as a good enough sign that the platform is losing its grip on users.
Is Twitter Doing Anything to Increase Activity Levels on Its Platform?
Sure. Twitter has been working hard to address some of the issues that have been plaguing the platform in recent years.
In January 2021, the company removed verification badges from inactive verified accounts. This was a response to the growing number of inactive verified accounts on the platform, which had been causing users to lose faith in Twitter’s verification system.
Then, in February 2021, Twitter announced that it was working on a “Safe Mode,” a feature built to help reduce harassment and abuse on the platform.
Twitter also launched a subscription service, Twitter Blue, in June of the same year to incentivize creators and other high-profile users to be more active on the platform.
Twitter May Be Struggling—but It’s Definitely Not Dying
Twitter may be struggling, but it’s still one of the most popular social media platforms out there. Its user base is growing, and it’s continuing to launch new initiatives to address some of the issues that have been holding it back.
So, while Twitter may not be in the best shape right now, it’s definitely not dying.
