\n<\/p>\n
The end of the \u201chegemony\u201d of X as the most used social media platform by researchers has been strongly shaped by political and geographic factors, as well as Elon Musk\u2019s intervention into U.S. politics, according to a new study.<\/p>\n
Since Musk rebranded Twitter to X, many within higher education\u2014including some universities themselves\u2014have decided to leave the platform, particularly since the billionaire threw his support behind Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. election.<\/p>\n
Researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Granada examined almost 15,000 publications from multidisciplinary and Library and Information Science journals between January 2024 and March 2025.<\/p>\n
Across the whole period, Bluesky had a much smaller presence compared with X in terms of engaged users\u2014those who comment on papers.<\/p>\n
However, the paper found a \u201cnotable increase\u201d in Bluesky accounts mentioning papers published in multidisciplinary journals in November 2024, which the paper said was likely influenced by political and platform change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe observe a clear surge in mentions beginning in September 2024 and continuing into early 2025, particularly around the United States presidential election and subsequent political events.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shift in users and increasing diversification between the two platforms, particularly from late 2024 onward, coincided with \u201cmajor U.S. political events in which Elon Musk has actively intervened.\u201d<\/p>\n
After successfully helping Trump win the battle for the White House, Musk was appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency\u2014an organization that slashed federal contracts and found few friends within the scientific community.<\/p>\n
The study says the results reveal a scholarly landscape where conversations are no longer concentrated on a single platform, but are now \u201cgenuinely distributed between X and Bluesky.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis reflects that the response to platform changes is not only field-dependent, but also strongly shaped by political-geographical factors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study comes after a recent analysis by Andy Tattersall, an information specialist at the Sheffield Centre of Health and Related Research, found a third of U.K. universities have now quit X. While the number of active accounts on Bluesky has risen, however, many institutions are still not posting regularly.<\/p>\n
Altmetric, which collates mentions of publications from news sources, blogs and social media, has been tracking Bluesky, which was originally created by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, since October 2024.<\/p>\n
A previous study revealed that Bluesky hosted more posts linked to work published in 2025 for the first time in March\u2014declaring, \u201cThe days of X\u2019s dominance are over.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new paper reached a similar conclusion, adding, \u201cWhat is clear is that the Altmetric hegemony of X may have come to an end, as for the first time there is a clear alternative in Bluesky, which even matches user engagement in ways that would have seemed unthinkable until recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly time will tell how effective and lasting this platform shift truly is.\u201d<\/p>\n
It says further research was needed to learn why Bluesky has succeeded where other alternatives\u2014such as Threads or Mastodon\u2014did not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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