Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, engagement with his tweets has increased significantly, growing much faster than his actual follower count, according to an analysis by Axios.
Why it matters: For Musk, owning Twitter, and using the app to present and defend his plans for the company, has energized his personal platform.
Details: The findings show that people are engaging more with Musk’s tweets than they were back when he was just another user.
- Compared to before he acquired Twitter, Musk's follower count has grown roughly 73%, while other types of engagement have increased between 100%–210%.
- Quote tweets have grown the most. Likes have increased the least.
Between the lines: The way in which people are engaging with Musk’s tweets is changing as well.
- The ratio of likes to replies in response to his tweets is on a steep decline, according to the data, suggesting users are more likely to reply to his tweets than in years past.
How it works: The engagement data pulled by Axios tracks Musk’s tweets, not including replies or retweets, across 2022.
- It compares engagement during the period before he purchased Twitter, Jan. 1 to Oct. 26, to the period after, Oct. 27 to Dec. 4.
- The ratio data covers the period from Jan. 1, 2018, to Nov. 30, 2022, to get a wider view of the types of engagement with Musk’s tweets over time.
The bottom line: Musk has long been one of Twitter's most prominent users, tapping into a subculture of active internet users who use memes and inside jokes to communicate and transact.
- It's no surprise that Musk’s best-performing tweets from a ratio perspective, according to the analysis, tend to be memes or jokes, like this January 2020 meme about smartphones.
