What Replaced Twitter?
When Everybody Left The Social Media Platform, We All Dispersed
Posted by Charlie Recksieck
on 2025-12-18
But the gutting of the actual platform was even more of a head-scratcher. Features once free - like verification - were placed behind a subscription. This confused authenticity signals and created new incentives for impersonation. Immediately, third-party friendly APIs disappeared, causing frustration for users who relied on consistent behavior. Massive layoffs were idiotic.
Combined, these changes pushed users to seek platforms that felt more consistent, community-driven, and trustworthy - which were Twitter's original successful traits.
I can't find any accurate market share figures for the Elon Musk era, since they're not a public company they don't have to, account numbers are up but those include bots and people who've jumped ship, and Musk can't really be counted on to be presenting accurate numbers at this point anyway.
What Was Twitter And Where Have Those Conversations/Posts Gone To?
For better or worse, Twitter was where a lot of "the national conversation" was (along with Facebook). Yes, Twitter enveloped users in a Twitter bubble where we thought what was big or trending on Twitter was what everybody was talking about. It frequently wasn't. Journalists and people who spent a lot of time online were driving the conversation.
And let's not forget how mean-spirited it could be. Maybe Musk did us a favor in getting lots of us off the platform.
But at its best, Twitter was real-time information sharing. When the Academy Awards telecast blacked out while Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, I only knew and followed because of Twitter. Real-life good was done on Twitter during the Arab Spring and during disasters. Hashtags and trending topics fostered movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo.
The platform's network effect allowed anyone to interact with journalists, celebrities, or policymakers directly.
And my favorite things were just following comedians saying funny things and local food trucks letting me know where they'd be that day.
What Replaced Twitter - Or at Least Became Major Alternatives
Bluesky - Developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (who by far was/is my favorite social media executive. It's probably the closest "Twitter-like" alternative - but has fewer users, maybe 4 million regular users tops?
Mastodon - Open-source, federated social network that lets users join or run their own servers. Good for people who want Twitter-style microblogging but with more control and fewer ads. I personally love the way it works but do they even have 1 million regular users?
Threads (Meta) - Launched by Meta and tightly integrated with Instagram. Lots of people have gone this route but do we really want to be this centralized in the Meta ecosystem with Facebook and Instagram? Lots of users (not sure if these are more daily users or occasional) like over 100 million.
The key to any social media being really successful or THE place is that it needs a critical mass of users. Personally, I haven't been active on much of any of these ... I've been waiting for the spiritual successor to Twitter to get the majority of online posters.
So, there is no exact one-to-one replacement for Twitter. The user base has fragmented, with different platforms serving different needs.
Should You Be Posting?
It depends. If you're an individual, you can easily get sucked into being online way too much and giving up a lot of data. Are you familiar with the expression about social media, "If you're not paying, you're the product"
But as an advertiser or marketer, you still want to leverage the power of social media. And it would be a whole lot better if there were certain large networks or communities for you to use.
Where Should You Be Posting Now?
Again, as an advertiser or marketer, where should you be on social media? It really depends on what you're selling.
Here's a quick look at general user demographics for the major social media platforms:
Instagram
Age: 78% of U.S. adults ages 18-29 use Instagram vs. only 15% of those 65+.
Gender: Slight female skew; US report: ~54% women, ~46% men.
Facebook
Age: Broad use across age groups; older generations remain strongly represented.
Gender: Nearly balanced; some sources say ~51% female, ~49% male. SocialRails
TikTok
Age: Very popular with younger users; ~62% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 say they use it.
Gender: Slightly more women than men, though distribution is fairly balanced. SocialRails
Snapchat
Age: High usage among younger adults-65% of U.S. adults under 30 use it vs. 4% 65+
Gender: Slight female majority. According to YouGov, Snapchat skews slightly more toward women than men.
Age: 78% of U.S. adults ages 18-29 use Instagram vs. only 15% of those 65+.
Gender: Slight female skew; US report: ~54% women, ~46% men.
Age: Broad use across age groups; older generations remain strongly represented.
Gender: Nearly balanced; some sources say ~51% female, ~49% male. SocialRails
TikTok
Age: Very popular with younger users; ~62% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 say they use it.
Gender: Slightly more women than men, though distribution is fairly balanced. SocialRails
Snapchat
Age: High usage among younger adults-65% of U.S. adults under 30 use it vs. 4% 65+
Gender: Slight female majority. According to YouGov, Snapchat skews slightly more toward women than men.
Your ideal platform depends on what you're selling. If you're a yarn store, maybe bring Pinterest into things. Restaurants, lots of Facebook and Instagram. B2B campaigns could be on LinkedIn.
But those are all marketing choices. As far as where the national conversation is, your favorite authors give you free tidbits and you find out where your tastiest taco truck is going to be for lunch - that used to be a Twitter thing. And it hasn't really been replaced.
