Over on Threads, discussions about an “X exodus” are gaining momentum. Many users are reporting an influx of new members and seeing their online friends leaving Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) to join Meta’s Threads, with some even deactivating their accounts.
Meta’s Threads Growth
Threads, Meta’s Twitter-like social network with less focus on politics, has been steadily growing since its launch in July 2023. The platform recently crossed 200 million monthly active users, up from 150 million in April 2024.
User Reactions on Threads
This week, numerous discussions on Threads have centered around the so-called X exodus, with many users sharing their experiences of leaving X or noticing an increase in followers on Threads. Users described the shift as feeling like a “tsunami” or a “watershed” moment.
Impact of Elon Musk’s Political Statements
The reported exodus from X follows controversial political statements by X owner Elon Musk, including sharing fake news about U.K. riots and making comments suggesting civil war in the country was inevitable. These actions may have prompted some users to switch from X to Threads.
Data on the X Exodus” Fails to Show Significant Change
Despite the chatter on Threads, data from multiple sources doesn’t show significant changes in user activity between and Threads. For instance, Sensor Tower reported a 2% growth in X’s average daily active users worldwide from July to August 2024, while Threads’ user activity remained flat.
XÂ App Installs and User Growth
In the U.S., both and Threads saw small increases in daily active users by 2% and 3%, respectively, over the past month. However, global app installs for both platforms remained unchanged in August compared to July. A slight decline in X’s U.S. app downloads by 13% in August was noted, while Threads saw a 14% increase.
X Website Traffic Insights
Website traffic data from Similarweb also showed no substantial changes, with traffic growing by 1.4% week-over-week and Threads’ traffic declining by 1.5%. These fluctuations were within the normal range for both platforms.
Potential Lag in Data Reflection
While these third-party estimates might lag behind actual shifts in user engagement, it’s possible that more people are talking on Threads about leaving , creating a perception of a larger exodus than what is actually occurring.
X Returning Users on Threads
Some users who had previously set up a Threads account may have recently returned to the platform, contributing to the exodus discussion, though this wouldn’t be reflected in app install data.
