Brazil's Social Media Shift: X Ban Sparks Mass Migration to Bluesky and Threads
Following X's suspension in Brazil, users flock to alternative platforms. Bluesky sees 85% of 2.6 million new users from Brazil, while Threads gains traction. The shift reshapes Brazil's digital landscape.
In a significant shift in Brazil's digital landscape, users of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) have been compelled to seek alternative platforms following a nationwide ban. The suspension, ordered by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court, came in the wake of a heated dispute with Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X.
The ban has led to a mass exodus of Brazilian users to other social media platforms, primarily Bluesky and Threads. This migration has reshaped the country's online discourse and media landscape, despite X having a smaller user base compared to other popular platforms in Brazil.
Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform with roots in Twitter, has experienced a substantial influx of Brazilian users. The platform reported gaining 2.6 million new users in the week following X's suspension, with an impressive 85% of these new accounts originating from Brazil. This surge has boosted Bluesky's total user base to over 8 million.
Threads, launched by Meta in 2023 as a competitor to X, has also seen an increase in Brazilian users. The platform's seamless integration with Instagram has facilitated its rapid growth, although specific user numbers for Brazil are not available.
The impact of X's suspension extends beyond mere user numbers. Despite having only 22 million users in Brazil, compared to the significantly larger user bases of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, X held a unique position in shaping public discourse. It was a preferred platform for journalists, politicians, academics, and celebrities, whose interactions on X often resonated far beyond the platform itself.
"Even though Twitter may not have this direct impact on the everyday, common Brazilians, it would impact the press, which eventually would impact indirectly common Brazilians. That's the sort of impact that Twitter has — or used to have — in Brazil."
The migration has also sparked discussions about platform interoperability and user ownership of social connections. Bluesky's CEO, Jay Graber, emphasized the platform's mission to allow users to move between platforms while retaining their connections, similar to switching cell phone carriers without losing contacts.
As Brazilian users adapt to new digital environments, the long-term implications of this shift remain to be seen. The incident has highlighted the vulnerability of centralized social media platforms to regulatory actions and the potential for rapid changes in user behavior in response to such events.
