DIGITAL LIFE

Twitter usage in the Netherlands dropped sharply: 'Made with negative sentiment'

This is evident in a representative survey among 7,000 Dutch Newcom. Of all social media, Twitter usage dropped the most: from 3.5 million to 3.1 million, a 13% drop.

“In the thirteen years we've conducted this research, we've only seen a drop this big once before. That was in 2019, when there was a lot to do about fake news on Facebook and Twitter,” says Hans Hoekstra of Newcom.

Many women have dropped out...“We see a lot more women than men leaving Twitter, which has always been a very male platform anyway,” says Hoekstra. “Sentiment on the platform seems to have more impact on women, who are less active on apps where discussions of current affairs are central.

Of Twitter users who have dropped out, 34% feel 'another platform is more fun', 27% say they 'don't feel at home anymore' and another 27% say Twitter 'doesn't provide enough'. Fake news (19%) is also frequently cited as a reason to leave Twitter.

Since the acquisition, Musk has made several controversial changes to Twitter. Three-quarters of the staff were laid off and many blocked accounts were reinstated. Messages are also less tightly controlled, which leads to far more hate speech messages.

TikTok and Snapchat grow...As in previous years, TikTok usage in the Netherlands has risen sharply again, by 34%. In 2022, TikTok has mostly grown among people over 40, but usage of the video app is also increasing among people in their 20s and 30s.

Source: RTL Nieuws