In 2023, we said goodbye to Twitter and welcomed X; some explored BlueSky and Mastodon, and concerns about AI bots and teen mental health lingered. Users retreated to private chats and scrolled endlessly, reflecting on the changes in social media. For social media users, it was a year of both new beginnings and farewells, with moments of soul-searching in between.
Goodbye Twitter
Over a year ago, Elon Musk entered Twitter's San Francisco headquarters, ousted its CEO and other top executives, replacing Twitter's name and iconic blue bird with X.
Open AI Drama
Twitter, once a highly influential platform in popular culture, is experiencing a decline in its impact. Jasmine Enberg, a social media analyst at Insider Intelligence, notes that while Twitter had issues before Elon Musk's takeover, it was a beloved brand with a clear role in social media. Though there are still moments of magic, such as real-time updates during the OpenAI drama, the Twitter of the past 17 years has largely disappeared, and X's purpose is unclear.
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Bringing Back Alex Jones
Since Musk took over, X has faced allegations of misinformation and racism, significant ad losses, and declining usage. Musk's expletive-laden interview criticizing advertisers worsened the situation. Following the trend of reinstating banned users in December, Musk brought back conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, citing an unscientific poll in his favor, despite Jones spreading misinformation about the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Dangerous Platform for LGBTQ+
LGBTQ+ and supportive organizations have expressed concerns about X becoming less safe. In April, it quietly removed a policy against targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals. GLAAD labeled it the "most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people" in June. In December, the LGBTQ education group GLSEN announced its departure from X, together with the suicide prevention Trevor Project, citing Musk's changes enabling harassment of the LGBTQ+ community without restriction or discipline.
Hello X, Threads and BlueSky
Musk wants to turn X into an "everything app" like China's WeChat, but it's unclear if US and Western users are interested, as Musk hasn't provided specifics. X faces an identity crisis, prompting some users to seek alternatives.
Mastodon and Bluesky were options for users looking for alternatives. Bluesky originated from Twitter as a project by former CEO Jack Dorsey, who remains on its board. When tens of thousands, mainly dissatisfied Twitter users, started joining the invite-only Bluesky in the spring, CEO Jay Graber mentioned the app had less than 10 people working on it.
Facebook's Meta seized the chance to attract unhappy Twitter users by introducing Threads in July. It gained popularity with tens of millions signing up, though retaining users posed challenges. In a surprising December move, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced testing interoperability, aligning with the concept supported by Mastodon, Bluesky, and other decentralized networks. The idea is that users should use their accounts across different platforms, similar to email addresses or phone numbers.
Rising Mental Health Concerns
This year, the impact of social media on children's mental health has become a significant concern. In May, the US surgeon general warned that there's insufficient evidence to prove social media's safety for kids and urged immediate action from tech companies, parents, and caregivers. Dr. Vivek Murthy expressed the unfair burden on parents to manage rapidly evolving technology that shapes how children perceive themselves, build friendships, and experience the world.
In October, numerous US states sued Meta, alleging harm to young people and contribution to the youth mental health crisis through intentionally designing addictive features on Instagram and Facebook. In November, a former Meta engineering director testified before a Senate subcommittee, revealing how Meta executives, including Zuckerberg, were aware of Instagram's adverse effects on teens but chose not to make substantial changes.
This testimony coincided with bipartisan efforts in Congress to establish regulations safeguarding children online. In December, the Federal Trade Commission proposed significant changes to a longstanding law, suggesting defaults to turn off targeted ads to children under 13 and limit push notifications.
What to Anticipate in 2024
Chatbots are just the beginning. Zuckerberg envisions a future where people interact with hologram versions of friends and AI bots for assistance. Meta introduced AI bots with faces like Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton for users to interact with.
In the upcoming year, AI will be integrated into various aspects of platforms to drive usage, ad performance, revenues, subscriptions, and commerce. AI will strengthen the connection between users and advertisers on social media, but challenges may arise due to increased scrutiny from consumers and regulators. Some platforms are finding subscriptions to be a more appealing source of revenue. Initially used to diversify or boost income when social ad businesses faced challenges, subscriptions have persisted and expanded even as the social ad market stabilized. With significant elections approaching in the U.S., India, and other countries, the role of AI and social media in spreading misinformation remains a crucial concern for observers. A.J. Nash, VP of intelligence at cybersecurity firm ZeroFox, expressed concern in May, highlighting the significant impact of emerging audio and video capabilities when used on a large scale and distributed on social platforms, which they were unprepared for.
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