The news: A majority of Americans who used Twitter in the past year and two months took a break from the platform, and a quarter of them said they are unlikely to use it a year from now, according to results of a recent Pew Research Center survey.
What the numbers say: The poll, conducted in March, found that 60% of Americans who used Twitter over the previous 12 months reported taking time off from the site for several weeks or longer. Gender, race, and ethnicity play a role in the likelihood of taking a break, as women (69%) were more likely than men (54%) to do so, and Black users (67%) had a higher tendency to take a break than White (60%) or Hispanic (54%) users.
What else: Following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the top 20% of its most active users also showed a decline in their posting frequency, with their average number of tweets per month dropping by 25%, according to Pew. However, eight out of 10 of these power users are still among the most active post-takeover, it noted.
Why it matters: The data highlights the challenges faced by Twitter's incoming CEO, Linda Yaccarino, as she takes over from Musk. In addition to user retention issues, she faces hurdles surrounding advertiser relationships, moderation concerns, and engaging "power users," who are responsible for most of the platform's content.
