While X (formerly Twitter) continues to pose difficult questions for its users, including journalists and advertisers, Threads and Bluesky are seeking to fill the void.

This is updated version of a blog post originally published in April 2025.

The Launch of Threads and its Impact on X

The launch of Meta’s Threads app in July 2023 arrived with much fanfare, as the new social media channel quickly amassed over 50 million daily active users (DAUs) within its first months and surpassed 100 million sign-ups in under a week. Initially, the engagement on Threads stagnated. However, as users began their exodus from X (Twitter), Threads began to see a spike in interest.

Reporting from TechCrunch revealed that Threads was rapidly closing the gap with X in daily mobile usage. In June 2025, Threads recorded approximately 115 million daily active mobile users globally, while X stood at roughly 132 million—a notable decline for X year-over-year as Threads continued to surge.

The user numbers surrounding X continue to fluctuate, but newer 2026 reporting suggests the platform is facing measurable declines in mobile engagement while Threads continues to grow rapidly. By early 2026, Similar Web data reported by The Verge showed Threads had officially surpassed X in global daily mobile users, reaching approximately 141.5 million daily active users compared to X’s 125 million. However, X still maintains a significant advantage in overall web traffic and total platform reach. X still maintains a significantly larger overall audience when web traffic is included, , however, with estimates placing its combined daily reach above 270 million users.

Meta announced in late 2024 that Threads would introduce customizable user feeds and allow users to select their own default timeline (a move widely viewed as a response to growing competition from decentralized social platforms such as Bluesky). By 2026, Meta had expanded these personalization efforts further through its “Dear Algo” feature, which allows users to directly influence the content recommended in their feeds through AI-driven preference prompts.

What About X (The App Formerly Known as Twitter)?

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of X, the platform has faced mounting criticism over misinformation, moderation policies, advertiser concerns, and declining engagement in several global markets. Researchers, journalists, and media watchdogs have increasingly pointed to X as one of the most difficult major platforms for controlling false or inflammatory content.

The most recent example of criticism of X came earlier this year when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Wired reported that “hundreds of posts on X, some of which have racked up millions of views, that promote misleading claims about the locations and scale of the attack.” Most notably, the Wired article explains that nearly all the most viral posts they reviewed came from accounts with blue check marks, meaning the users pay X for its premium service and could be eligible to earn money based on how much engagement their posts generate—even if the content is false.

According to Social Media Today, X did later promise to better police AI-generated fakes related to the fighting Iran, but not other misinformation related to the conflict.

Where does Bluesky Fit in?

Originally developed under Jack Dorsey, Bluesky grew to over 40.2 million total users by 2026, driven by a migration from X. While maintaining nearly 3.5 million daily active users, the platform is addressing engagement challenges through new, advanced algorithmic custom feeds and video optimization

These features have demonstrated the platform’s appeal to the news industry and journalists, with reports from Press Gazette and Campaign revealing publishers are receiving better referral traffic and engagement on the platform and more journalists are posting on Bluesky compared to on X.

What About LinkedIn? Yes, LinkedIn…

Amid continued volatility across major social platforms, LinkedIn has quietly expanded its global reach, surpassing 1.3 billion registered members worldwide in 2026, reinforcing the idea that while some social media channels generate outsized controversy and disruption, more professionally oriented platforms continue to experience steady growth. LinkedIn has increasingly evolved beyond a digital résumé platform into a hub for thought leadership, creator content, industry news, and professional networking.

So, What Should You Do?

With the social media landscape in flux, it is vital for digital and PR professionals to focus clearly on where their audiences are online.

  • PR professionals should determine whether the reporters they need to reach have transitioned away from X to newer spaces like Threads or BlueSky.
  • Marketers should pinpoint where their potential and current clients are most active and consider if Threads offers a better channel to reach them. Or, as Slate argues, is LinkedIn the best place for online communication for your brand and your subject matter experts?
  • And for B2C brands, give Pinterest another look.

In sum, the keys for navigating the volatile social media landscape are awareness and flexibility. Be aware of the behavior of your audiences and remain nimble enough to pivot to where they are.

New information for this article was researched by our intern Micah Talley.