A new Benzinga reader poll shows a mixed opinion on whether users are headed for the exits of social media platforms in the months since the 2024 presidential election.
While many users are staying on social media platforms, here’s a look at which companies could be most impacted.
What Happened: A recent email from X owner Elon Musk to his staff suggested the social media platform he paid $44 billion for might be seeing slower growth in the months since the 2024 election, which was won by Donald Trump.
“Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we’re barely breaking even,” Musk said in the email.
The email comes months after Musk highlighted the record usage X saw during the presidential election.
“Over the last few months, we’ve witnessed the power of X in shaping the national conversations and outcomes. We are also seeing other platforms begin to adopt our commitment to free speech and unbiased truth,” Musk also said in the email.
Benzinga recently asked readers if they were considering leaving social media platforms.
“Do you plan to stop using any of these social media platforms in the wake of the 2024 presidential election?” Benzinga asked.
Here are the results:
- I don’t plan to stop using any platforms: 53%
- X (formerly Twitter): 18%
- TikTok: 11%
- Facebook: 8%
- Instagram: 5%
- Reddit: 3%
- Snapchat: 2%
The poll found the majority wasen’t leaving any of the mentioned social media platforms in the wake of the election won by Trump.
The company leading the platform votes was X, which could be in response to its ownership by Musk, a close ally of Trump. Musk has become more outspoken politically on the platform and there could be a belief that he will try to influence X users with his ideals.
Ranking second was TikTok, which faces a pending ban that Trump has paused with an executive order. Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta Platforms META ranked third and fourth, respectively, among social media platforms with a combined 13%. This could be bad news for the company as it could see an exodus of users in the coming months.
Reddit RDDT and Snap Inc SNAP-owned Snapchat received a lower percentage of potential users leaving in the poll.
Read Also: Follow Biden Or Harris On Instagram, Facebook? Chances Are You’re Now Following Trump Or Vance
Why It’s Important: The poll saw the majority of users not exiting social media platforms could show that fears of users being influenced by politics and leaving platforms based on who owns them could be overblown.
There were reports that users on Facebook and Instagram could be leaving the platform after Meta’s content moderation changes. Searches for “delete Facebook” and “delete Instagram” have surged on Google in recent weeks, but the poll shows that users might not be ready to leave the platforms yet.
X leads the way for a potential trend of consumers being less happy with the brands associated with Musk as his political efforts ramp up.
Reports showed that users went to alternate platforms like Bluesky after the election, but this poll could show that people never truly left or they didn’t stay on Bluesky.
Read Next:
The study was conducted by Benzinga from Jan. 25, 2025, through Jan. 27, 2025. It included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 150 adults.
Photo: Farknot Architect/Shutterstock.com
Overview Rating:
Speculative
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
