Since the election of Donald Trump, the former Twitter has seen many users leave. But where to go next? Although its competitors are numerous, they all have very different identities. Le Figaro helps you sort it out.
The election of Donald Trump was the final blow. Many users of X (ex-Twitter) have left the social network or are preparing to do so since the billionaire was re-elected to the White House. The social network even experienced on November 6, the day after the election, the largest movement of“exodus” since the arrival of Elon Musk at the helm two years ago, according to the American channel NBC.
Among them, many anonymous people as well as celebrities like Elton John, Mia Farrow, Whoopi Goldberg or Jim Carrey who left the social network for ideological reasons. Tired of the positions taken by Elon Musk (3,000 pro-Trump tweets in one month), whose account is the most followed on the platform (202 million subscribers), the right-wing of X and the climate ” toxic “we can hear here and there.
Also in question, new practices in force on the social network. The fact that the former Twitter changed its blocking rules last month “in the name of greater transparency” did not pass by many Internet users. Furthermore, X can now use the public writings of its users – provided it obtains the consent of those who reside within the European Union – to train its AI models.
Wanting to cut yourself off from X is one thing. But where to turn next? There are many contenders for the title of rival of the former Twitter, but none can to date claim to offer a similar service. Le Figaro presents them to you, with their strengths and weaknesses.
Bluesky, the growing network
It is undoubtedly the big winner of the disenchantment with X. In the ten days following the election of Trump, the social network driven by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, had gained a million subscribers. He has since been raking in a million more per day. Bluesky thus crossed the 20 million registration mark in mid-November, compared to 9 in September. The platform is open to the general public since February. If it remains far behind X (550 million monthly active users) and Threads (275 million), the gap is narrowing with the latter in daily use in the United States.
Many users are delighted to find the spirit of Twitter in its early days on Bluesky, with conversations without aggression. But the influx of new users risks quickly overwhelming the moderation teams. “In the last 24 hours, we have received more than 42,000 reports”indicated the teams dedicated to security on November 15, noting “an influx of spam, scams, and trolls.”
Bluesky presents itself as an independent platform, which has to date completed two fundraisings of 8 and 15 million dollars. Its code is open source. It is also a decentralized social network: users can manage their own data and content without depending on a central authority. The application sorts the contents in chronological order. Above all, users can simply create their own filters, and share news feeds around a theme (cinema, politics, literature, sociology, etc.) with all users. The Internet user therefore regains control over what he wants to see.
Bluesky wants to continue to remain free. He still refuses publicity. But to ensure its sustainability, he is preparing a subscription offering new features, such as better video quality and the possibility of personalizing his profile. Unlike X, the service will not offer preferential treatment to its premium subscribers by increasing the visibility of their publications. As for content creators, they will soon be able to monetize their work thanks to a payment service allowing Internet users to pay their favorite creators. A proposal that is reminiscent of the Donations of X functionality.
Threads, the everyday network
The Meta application launched in July 2023 has also been performing well in recent months. Its director, Adam Mosseri, announced in early November that the platform had just passed the mark of 275 million active monthly users. In August, Threads had already crossed the 200 million mark. The social network, designed to beat X, is targeting a billion users.
Also read
Everything you need to know about Threads, Meta's new social network now available in Europe
Until then, the social network – which can count on the marketing strength of Meta – was distinguished by the absence of advertising. But he has just announced that it will arrive from 2025.
Fans of political debate might be disappointed with Threads. The social network, like Instagram and Facebook, is very cautious towards them, for fear of exposing its users to “unwanted political content”particularly in this year marked by numerous elections around the world. Since the spring, its parent company, Meta, began removing recommendations related to political content for its users.
Another big difference with X: the Threads algorithm doesn't care about current events and «breaking news». This is not an information network. The platform promotes everyday conversations and anecdotes shared by its users about parenthood, work, school, travel, etc. By default, the social network mostly displays writings from complete strangers. But Meta announced on November 21 that it was going to correct this point, and favor the accounts to which the Internet user subscribed.
“For those looking to speak out publicly or follow people who do, Threads and Bluesky may be disappointing because the volume of users there is still limited. Only X allows you to speak to a large audience”notes Arthur Kannas, head of the Heaven agency. “If X was so powerful, it was linked to the massive presence of opinion leaders and the possibility of discussing with users of all stripes and all generations”adds Emmanuel Berne, head of studies at the Heaven agency.
Reddit, Mastodon, Discord, for the geekiest
The geekiest could turn to Discord or Mastodon. Discordwhich started as a voice platform for gaming fans to communicate, today operates with closed chat groups. To participate, you need the forum URL and be invited by a member.
Also read
France, a priority market for the Discord social platform
For his part, Mastodon, managed by a non-profit association, could appeal to those most opposed to the domination of the Tech giants. “This network gives the ability to create a server specific to each user. This avoids being dependent on a centralized platform and allows you to have control over the configuration, data hosting… »notes Emmanuel Berne. Mastodon has no advertising, nor an algorithm choosing what the user will see. Another big difference can confuse newcomers. When registering, Internet users must choose which “server” they want to belong. This choice is important because each server applies its own moderation rules.
Also read
Mastodon, the little thumb who claims to challenge Twitter
As for Redditthere is still a forum “old fashioned”. It is possible for an Internet user to find the subjects that interest them via a traditional search engine. Most discussions are public. We can simply read the conversations without necessarily contributing to them. However, there remains a limit for old X fans. “On X, we could speak to all audiences,” recalls Emmanuel Berne. In a forum, we find the same people every day”.
Also read
Reddit will change its face to try to seduce Europe
LinkedIn, the other option for professionals
For many experts, LinkedIn now has the opportunity to accelerate by expanding its audience. The Microsoft subsidiary is in the process of “leave its role as an HR platform to become more general, with real discussions and debates taking place there,” analyzes Arthur Kannas. Journalists and decision-makers who have made X their network could decide to refer to it massively”. It is rare today not to find the directors of large companies and the main opinion leaders there.
Also read
“Workinfluencers”, these content creators who invest in LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, unlike X, users connect with their name and not with a nickname, which limits excesses and explains the general climate of kindness and courtesy that reigns on the platform, which remains a professional showcase. Keen to expand its audience, LinkedIn, which has crossed the 30 million user mark in France, recently added a video tab which gives it a TikTok look, and put the accelerator on the news with another dedicated tab.
