More significantly, Musk became an outspoken supporter and funder of Trump’s presidential campaign. Two Australian researchers have even suggested that, after his endorsement of the Republican candidate on 13 July, Musk tweaked the algorithm to boost his own posts and those of other large pro-Trump accounts. Regardless of whether this is true (the researchers admit “it is impossible to know for sure”), openly favouring one candidate over another obviously undermines the platform’s neutrality.

Musk has made several other partisan comments which have predictably enraged his critics. In December 2022, he posted: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci”. And in August this year, he replied to a post blaming the UK riots on the “effects of mass migration” by saying: “Civil war is inevitable.” On top of all this, previously censored posts — including racist memes and snuff videos — now circulate freely on the platform. Leftists complain that their feeds are full of “white supremacy, anti-semitic and fanatical pro-Israel content”.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that many users no longer feel welcome on X. And they are voting with their feet. In Britain and the US, user growth on Bluesky is literally vertical, with the platform having recently overtaken Threads in America. Meanwhile, the number of X deactivations is about twice as high as before the US election — and this understates the exodus because some users who switch do not delete their accounts.

Academics, in particular, are quitting X in droves, which isn’t surprising given their broadly Left-wing views. A paper published last month found that academics’ engagement with Twitter fell sharply around the time of Musk’s takeover. And a recent analysis covered by the journal Science found that the number of influential scientists on Bluesky doubled between August and November.

The number of users on Bluesky may soon reach a critical mass, at which point most of the Leftists remaining on X migrate over. Brits and Americans will then be divided across two rival platforms: a Right-leaning one and a Left-leaning one. While partisans on both sides might be inclined to say “good riddance”, this would be a disastrous outcome.

That’s because it would increase polarisation by encouraging even more extreme tribal signalling. It would make both the Left and the Right dumber by reducing each side’s exposure to the other’s arguments. And it would make the user experience less enjoyable. After all, where’s the fun in arguing with people with whom you already agree? Something will have to change before this bifurcation takes place.

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Noah Carl is an independent researcher and writer.

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