Shillong, August 17: A recent study has unveiled a significant exodus of nearly 50% of environmentalists from Twitter (now X.com) following its acquisition by tech mogul Elon Musk in October 2022.
Previously a prominent platform for environmental discourse, Twitter’s transformation could have far-reaching consequences for public communication about critical issues like climate change, biodiversity, and disaster recovery.
The research, published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, highlights the impact of this mass departure on environmental advocacy, collaboration, and idea exchange. A group of biologists and environmental consultants from the US investigated a cohort of 380,000 “environmentally-oriented users,” active participants in discussions concerning environmental matters.
Within six months of Musk’s takeover, the study observed that only 52.5% of these users remained active on the platform, illustrating a substantial decline compared to other comparable online communities. The implications of this decline raise questions about where to track and foster discourse on environmental conservation.
The future role of Twitter (X.com) as a platform for environmental outreach and research remains uncertain. The study’s authors emphasize the necessity for cross-sector collaborations to monitor public engagement with the environment across diverse social media platforms, ultimately benefiting research, conservation efforts, and climate mitigation.”