In April, a few days before submitting a first offer to buy Twitter, Elon Musk wondered if the social network was dying. At first glance, it was then a simple joke, although it pointed to the lack of activity of the most followed people.
An internal company document, disclosed by Reuters, this Wednesday, it tends to confirm a certain decline. Therefore, Twitter would have a hard time retaining its most important users.
Called “heavy tweeters,” these accounts account for less than 10% of monthly active users but 90% of the platform’s tweets. They would be in “absolute decline” since the start of the pandemic, the document indicates. The stakes are high as they generate, in the long run, half of the platform’s advertising revenue -according to Reuters- and could give Elon Musk something to grind.
More cryptocurrencies and sexual content
A “high tweeter” is a user who logs in six to seven times per week and tweets three to four times per week. And despite the internal investigation, the document shows that Twitter cannot find a specific reason for the decline of its important accounts.
In addition to this disavowal of its most important accounts, Twitter has seen a change in the interest of its users. In the span of two years, the company has seen cryptocurrency and “Not Safe for Work” content (shocking or sexual content) become favorite topics for English-speaking users. The company estimates that adult content makes up 13% of the content offered.
Cryptocurrencies have taken a considerable place on the social network, peaking at the end of 2021. However, the company points to a drop in interest since the cryptocurrency crash and stock crash that took place in June.
This turn is worrying in terms of remuneration and viability of the platform. In sharp decline, news, sports and entertainment-related content no longer appeals to Twitter’s key target: English-speaking users. However, these themes are the most coveted by advertisers.
Trends that evolve according to the news
Twitter refuses to indicate the proportion of tweets posted in English and the revenue they generate. Contacted by Reuters, analyst Jasmine Enberg explains: “The platform earned more ad revenue in the United States alone than in all other markets combined during its fourth quarter (published February 2022, note).”
However, he wants to be confident by specifying that “the global audience continued to grow, reaching 238 million monetizable daily active users in the second quarter of 2022”.
However, the phenomenon is still worrying for Twitter. Reflecting the fears of a company researcher writing in the report: “There appears to be a significant gap between what I imagine our company’s values to be and our growth models.”
Source: BFM TV
