Since Elon Musk's Take Over, Environmentalists Are Moving Away From X, Formerly Twitter

Elon Musk's acquisition of X, formerly known as Twitter, has sparked notable exits of environmentalists from the platform. That indicates a significant shift in the user base and raises concerns about the future of environmental discussions on social media.

A new study led by Charlotte Chang, an assistant professor of biology and environmental analysis at Pomona College, has revealed that almost 50 percent of Twitter users actively engaged in environmental conversations have left the platform in the six months following Musk took over.

'Environmental Twitter' in Elon Musk's X Platform

The research examines the impact of Elon Musk's acquisition on the online environmental discourse. The research team found that nearly half of X users identified as environmentally oriented had stopped being active on the platform since the sale of the social media platform in October 2022.

The researchers called these users "Environmental Twitter," who posted about environmental topics at least once every 15 days. The study compared Twitter use among 380,000 "environmentalist" users to 458,000 users who used the platform to discuss the 2020 US presidential election.

The study then found a much less pronounced drop-off at 20.6% among users discussing the 2020 US presidential election. These users were dubbed "Politics Twitter."

Chang and her team's research was built upon their earlier study that identified six distinct personas within the Environmental Twitter community based on interests ranging from biodiversity conservation to climate change mitigation.

The sudden departure of a significant portion of this community highlights the potential consequences of changes in the platform's governance on active user participation.

The research not only underscores the role of Twitter as a crucial platform for diverse environmental interests to communicate and collaborate on advocacy efforts, but it also raises concerns about the lack of alternatives for such discourse.

According to the researchers, topics like extreme weather disaster responses, biodiversity preservation, and climate change require platforms for robust idea-sharing and public mobilization, which Twitter has historically facilitated.

Recommendations to Continue Engagement in Social Media Platforms Like X and Threads

The research team recommends monitoring social media platforms like Threads and Mastodon and reporting what attracts environmental users to mitigate the decline in environmental information sharing and activism.

They also suggest coordinated efforts to communicate concerns to X and government policymakers. The authors emphasize the importance of initiatives like the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, which advocates for the preservation of public interest in technology platforms.

Chang's research, conducted between December 2022 and May 2023, was partially supported by a grant from the Society for Conservation Biology and the Cedar Tree Foundation.

The study's findings raise concerns about the future of X as a platform for outreach, collaboration, and research in environmental issues, urging a collaborative effort across various sectors to ensure the continuation of ecological discourse and public engagement.

"Such changes amplify the need to create collaborations across industry, the non-profit sector, and academia to track public engagement with the environment across social media platforms for the benefit of primary research, applied environmental conservation, and climate mitigation," the researchers wrote.

The study's findings were published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.