In an ever-evolving digital landscape, the role of social media platforms in public communication continues to shift. A recent survey conducted by John Guilfoil Public Relations from Mid-December 2024 to Mid-February 2025, sheds light on these changes, particularly focusing on Twitter/X and its position in the social media hierarchy.
The survey responses suggest that Twitter/X has faced a steep decline in engagement, while other platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging alternatives like Bluesky, are seeing shifts in usage and importance. Specifically, we note that Instagram has surpassed Twitter/X for engagement, and LinkedIn has seen dramatic rises in relevance, coinciding with the launch of its new short video/reel feature, though our survey did not measure the success of that launch.
As a result of this survey, JGPR is now recommending for the first time that its clients and other government and public safety entities scale back and prepare to sunset its Twitter/X usage.
JGPR surveyed 164 media and government officials, including 17 news outlets and representatives from 147 police, fire and municipal government departments across the country.
The Death of Twitter/X As a Viable Public Information Officers’ Tool
One of the most striking findings from the survey is the “death drop” of decreasing engagement levels on Twitter/X. When respondents were asked whether their interaction with the public on Twitter/X had changed over the past two years, nearly 37% reported a ‘Greatly Decreased’ interaction rate, while an additional 11.7% noted a general decrease. In contrast, only 5.4% of respondents observed an increase in engagement, with the remaining stating that their interaction levels had remained the same.
Additionally, While 56.7% of respondents indicated that their agency has a Twitter/X account, the majority no longer appear to use it. In fact, we observed that over the 60 days that we offered the survey, fewer respondents indicated that they organization has a Twitter/X account in February than in December, just two months earlier. Over 48.5% of respondents said they use Twitter/X either by computer or mobile app, less than once per month, and 19.4% said 1-2 times per month, indicating that over two-thirds use Twitter two or fewer times per month. The apparent “stickiness” of Twitter has also suffered, with only 3.7% of respondents indicating that they used Twitter/X “Multiple Times Each Day.”
These numbers indicate that Twitter/X has lost its role as a primary engagement tool for organizations.
The reasons for this decline, while not explicitly surveyed, can be inferred from industry trends. Content moderation concerns, the rise in alternative platforms, and changes in Twitter’s algorithm and API support may have contributed to users and organizations reassessing its value in their communication strategies. Additionally, public safety agencies, news media, and municipal organizations—key participants in this survey—often rely on stable and widely trusted platforms, and the turbulence surrounding Twitter/X’s policy changes could be influencing their shifting preferences. Several respondents named Elon Musk and his management as a direct reason for their reduction in Twitter/X usage.
Several respondents cited changes to Twitter’s API and its loss of compatibility with other tools as a reason for its decline.
“Twitter has been a difficult tool to use as it’s integration with our other channels is mostly non-existent. We are essentially not using Twitter at all and have had no asks from our public to pursue,” said one respondent, a public safety chief.
“We stopped using X when we had to pay and for it and our tool stopped cross-posting,” said another first responder.
Even those still using Twitter/X indicated that they have become more passive with usage, as responses and interactions have gone away.
“We continue to use X because it’s already linked to our website, but no one reposts or comments on our messages. We prefer FB, as it’s much more interactive with our residents,” said one public safety chief.
“I used to use Twitter all the time but have basically stopped unless pushing a press release out that I posted on our website. I don’t find it useful anymore and I don’t feel as though our residents are utilizing it,” said another agency chief.
“Twitter does not give us the engagement it used to,” said a media member, working in online news.
Overall, respondents did not feel that Twitter/X helps their agencies achieve their communications goals. Only 4.1% of respondents “Absolutely Agree” that Twitter/X helps their organization achieve its comms goals.
One respondent, from a state law enforcement agency in the U.S. South, indicated that Twitter had sparked a moral response: “Our agency has sunset the use of our main Twitter account. We are no longer posting there except for extreme emergencies (i.e., Hurricanes). We made this decision when Twitter announced that they would officially condone pornography on the platform in June 2024.”
“I strongly dislike Twitter/X now that it has been taken over by Musk. The only reason I use it at all is because that is where the athletic teams from the local high school post most often, so I check their account only. I used to occasionally post updates about articles in the paper, but no longer do. Reading through the general site is nothing but ads and porn and a lot of crazy crap. If the school switches to a different platform, I will cancel my account. Facebook isn’t much better as far as ads, but there are community groups that do pay attention so I keep up with them,” said one respondent.”
The Rise of Bluesky and LinkedIn over Twitter
As Twitter/X sees declining engagement, emerging and established platforms are filling the gap. Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform, was cited by some respondents as part of their social media strategy. While it has yet to reach mass adoption, its inclusion among survey responses suggests a growing interest in alternatives that provide a similar real-time communication model without the perceived concerns associated with Twitter/X.
“We have secured a username for Bluesky and may be switching over from X, especially if our partner government agencies make the switch,” wrote one first responder in the survey’s comments section.
Media outlets indicated that they would turn closer to Bluesky or other emerging platforms of government and public safety agencies started posting there:
“Bluesky has the potential to be far more useful to us in the media — IF public agencies would post there. I understand it may be more work, but we’re currently without a social media platform that served the purpose Twitter used to, when we could monitor for updates in real time,” wrote one journalist.
LinkedIn continues to grow steadily. While traditionally seen as a professional networking site, it is increasingly being used for news dissemination, thought leadership, and direct organizational engagement. Several respondents indicated that LinkedIn is among their preferred platforms, particularly for professional communication and industry-related discussions. The platform’s continued expansion into content-sharing and engagement tools makes it an attractive option for businesses, public officials, and news organizations looking for a more controlled and professional environment.
Instagram surprised us by surpassing Twitter/X as a platform of choice after nearly a decade of duopoly between Facebook and Twitter/X. When asked “Which social media platform would you say is your “go-to” if you could only choose one?” not surprisingly, Facebook was the overwhelming favorite, with a whopping 83.1 percent of respondents choosing it as “the one.” Second place was Instagram, at 6.2 percent, followed by Twitter/X at 3.8%, Bluesky at 1.5%, with all others (including LinkedIn, Nextdoor and Threads) coming it under 1%.
Facebook Still Reigns Supreme
The survey results indicate that despite the changing social media landscape, Facebook remains the most utilized platforms for news and government organizations. When respondents were asked which social media platforms they use for breaking news, Facebook was among the most frequently cited, often alongside Twitter/X. While Twitter/X rarely appeared alone in the answers to the breaking news posting question, did remain the second place social network for posting breaking news. Once again, the indications are that as long as news is being posted to Twitter/X, the news media will follow, but if that news migrated elsewhere, Twitter/X could further lose marketshare.
In other words, people are using Twitter/X for its content. Agencies are not posting content on Twitter/X because of an affinity for the platform, but as a default move that they have done for years, often automatically tied to their website or cross-posting with other social networks.
On the breaking news posting question, 90.9% of respondents post to Facebook, 45.4% included their agency website, with 40.8% going to Twitter/X, 33.1% to Instagram and a noteworthily low 6.9% using LinkedIn in early 2025.
Facebook continues to be the dominant social media force in public communication. Its use is particularly prevalent in municipal government and public safety circles, where longer-form posts, community engagement tools, and broader audience reach make it an indispensable platform. Facebook “Groups,” while often riddled with toxicity, also may spur move action by public agencies, who can see significant percentages of their population as community group members. However, it is worth noting that many organizations diversify their social media strategies, incorporating multiple platforms to maximize engagement rather than relying solely on Facebook. Most agencies use more than one platform.
Survey Conclusion
The data from the John Guilfoil Public Relations survey confirms what we have perceived as a noticeable decline in Twitter/X engagement over the past two years while highlighting the growing role of LinkedIn and the rising interest in alternative platforms like Bluesky. Meanwhile, Facebook continues to maintain a stronghold in public communication, particularly for municipal agencies and news dissemination. As social media strategies evolve, organizations appear to be adopting a more diversified approach, using multiple platforms to reach their audiences effectively.
Twitter/X and Facebook enjoyed an unprecedented reign of dominance in a generally frantic and fragile internet world. As countless websites and online services have come and gone over the years, Facebook (2004) and Twitter/X (2007) have experienced a remarkable run of longevity. One that appears to be over for one of them.
The survey confirms that Twitter/X is no longer a relevant tool for public safety news and for public information officers and its diminishing usefulness as a news aggregation tool is only fed by a percentage of agencies who still post news releases to Twitter/X by default.
Looking at the history of the internet and social media, it is unlikely that Twitter/X will regain its relevance and it is likely that newer platforms — perhaps one not yet in existence — will arise and take that place in the social media ecosystem.
Survey conducted via Google Forms. Margin of error +/- 7%
This article was originally published by a jgpr.net . Read the Original article here. .