No X in Brazil. It's not a problem. Or at least it doesn't seem to be for Brazilian users. Brazil, with a population of 215 million people, 'loved' Twitter. Then X. But now things seem to have changed. And not because of the decision to suspend the platform. Between politics and gossip, more than 40 million people participated in 'debates' every day. It is said that in 2013 the mass protests started from the platform. Then the rise to power of former President Jair Bolsonaro. But since then, X has lost its 'appeal' in Brazil. The latest data reported by the Washington Post speaks of 22 million Brazilian users. Brazil is witnessing the "death of Twitter," it was written.
The 'love' would be for Instagram and WhatsApp. "If they were to remove Instagram, or WhatsApp, it would hurt - summarized Shirley Sampaio, 56, who works in a jewelry store and loves Instagram - People don't use X". Brazilians would be more inclined to even use Kwai, the Chinese social network for short videos.
In 2022, only 3% of Brazilians cited the social network as their favorite 'place' for political news, a sector where Twitter was strong, according to a survey by the Institute for Democracy and Democratization of Communications. With the Elon Musk era, who acquired the platform in 2022, the losses - writes the Post - have increased. More than two million Brazilians 'fled'.
And, the newspaper writes, the 'mess' of last week further highlighted X's growing weakness in Brazil. Judge Alexandre de Moraes, at the forefront of the fight against disinformation, ordered X to block accounts accused of posing a threat to democracy. The appointment of a legal representative in Brazil was requested. Musk refused and Moraes suspended X. And the Brazilians reportedly shrugged.
Some pointed the finger at Moraes. Some claimed freedom of expression. But most moved on. Because they no longer used X that much. "For five or ten years, Twitter was Brazil's public square - explained Pedro Doria, a technology columnist for the newspaper O Globo - But then it became less interesting". In the days when X was 'off' in Brazil, more than a million Brazilians would have switched to Bluesky. Others to Threads, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
