https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-025-00552-y
Research
User migration in the Twitter diaspora
Computer Science and Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross Dr, 46556, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Received:
8
August
2024
Accepted:
24
April
2025
Published online:
8
May
2025
User migration across social media platforms has accelerated in response to changes in ownership, policy, and user preferences. This study examines the migration from X/Twitter to emerging alternate platforms such as Threads, Mastodon, and Truth Social. Using a large dataset from X/Twitter, we analyze the extent of user departures and their destination platforms. Additionally, we investigate whether a user’s follower count on X/Twitter correlates with their follower count on other platforms, assessing the transferability of audience size. Surprisingly, our findings indicate that users with larger followings on X/Twitter are more likely to migrate. Moreover, follower counts on X/Twitter are strongly correlated with those on Threads but not with those on Mastodon or Truth Social.
Key words: Reputation / Social media platforms / Migrations
© The Author(s) 2025
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