User migration in the Twitter diaspora

Abstract User migration across social media platforms has accelerated in response to changes in ownership, policy, and user preferences. This study examines the migration from X/Twitter to emerging alternate platforms such as Threads, Mastodon, and Truth Social. Using a large dataset from X/Twitter, we analyze the extent of user departures and their destination platforms. Additionally, we investigate whether a user’s follower count on X/Twitter correlates with their follower count on other platforms, assessing the transferability of audience size. Surprisingly, our findings indicate that users with larger followings on X/Twitter are more likely to migrate. Moreover, follower counts on X/Twitter are strongly correlated with those on Threads but not with those on Mastodon or Truth Social.