Twitter has had a rough couple of years. From stagnant growth post-pandemic lockdowns to being acquired by a billionaire megalomaniac who has taken a sledgehammer to the entire structure of the company, things just aren’t looking great!

So what does that mean for the so-called EU Bubble? After all, let’s be real: Twitter was THE place for just about any EU-related conversation. Policymakers, journalists, organisations and public affairs agencies were clamouring for that sweet Twitter discourse once upon a time.

With that in mind, there is still power – and maybe some potential – left in Twitter.

It’s one of the only remaining relevant text-based social media platforms (does anyone still post Facebook statuses?), but with all of the video content coming out of TikTok and Instagram, it’s difficult to compete for attention or even make money (what else is new for Twitter though, amirite?).

Despite this, Twitter content is still very much used cross-platform, and memes are born out of tweets seemingly every single day – the fast-paced, sometimes hilarious, conversations on Twitter are unmatched, and to lose this chaotic messy stream of consciousness from the world would be a real shame. How many times have you seen tweets posted across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn? It feels like a pretty regular occurrence – and, ironically, leads to tons of engagement across these platforms in most cases.

But Twitter’s real-time nature also sets it apart from other platforms. For the last decade-plus, it’s been the go-to platform for breaking news and real-time info. People can get instant updates on events as they are happening. Elections, global crises and even missing submarines are livetweeted, discussed and dissected every day. Twitter allows users to access information and participate in those discussions in real-time. Its ability to quickly disseminate information makes it a powerful tool for journalists, policymakers, etc. to amplify their reach and impact.

This is probably why some people are still clinging to the platform, though when it comes to ad spend, you’re probably better off with LinkedIn or elsewhere – depending on your goals and target audience. 

However, it’s a bit of a house of cards at this point. Should a competitor copy real-time microblogging and add it to their own platform (looking at you, Instagram), then perhaps it would be the final nail in the coffin of Twitter.

So is Twitter dead? Not quite yet. But will it die out in the near future? It’s entirely possible.

Either way, it would be a real shame – because even though it’s become a complete mess and at times unusable thanks to its incompetent owner, it was once a truly valuable corner of the internet. But much like Tumblr, MySpace, Vine and many of the other brilliant platforms that have had their rise and fall in the 21st century social media landscape, other things will rise from its ashes.

And for God’s sake, if I never have to read another Elon tweet again I will be a much happier, saner person.

– Ali Colwell, Digital & Social Media Lead at Bump