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Decline of X and Rise of Alternatives

As Elon Musk’s X sees a decline in daily active users, some people are deciding to ditch the social network entirely, whether that’s for Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, or perhaps, better yet, nothing at all.

The Rise of Alternatives Since Elon Musk Bought Twitter

Since the Tesla and SpaceX CEO bought Twitter in 2022, numerous alternatives have cropped up, seeking to ensnare people who are less than satisfied with Musk’s management of the platform. In some cases, that point of no return came when X turned its iconic blue checkmark into a paid feature, rendering a symbol once associated with legitimacy into a meaningless insignia. For others, Musk’s political influence more than doubled since October 2022, when Elon Musk officially took over Twitter.

Threads: A Popular Alternative

Threads

Threads has a serious advantage in this space: It’s owned by Meta, which means that you can transfer over your following lists from Instagram seamlessly. Of all options, Threads makes it easiest to follow the people you already want to follow (though Bluesky and Mastodon have “Starter Packs” to help, as does Threads).

Threads’ Biggest Boon and Fatal Flaw

But Threads’ biggest boon is also its fatal flaw. If people are already tired of Meta’s ecosystem — which also includes Facebook and WhatsApp — then they might not jump at the chance to give Meta even more control over their online experiences.

Threads’ Popularity

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in December 2024 that Threads has over 100 million daily active users and 300 million monthly active users, making it much more popular than its competitors. Though Threads had a big head start due to its integration with Instagram, the app continues to grow.