A Victorian government department has quit X, stating that the social media platform now owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was no longer safe and productive for community engagement, with more agencies likely to follow.
Earlier this week, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) placed its final post on the platform formerly known as Twitter and said its “break up [was] overdue”.
“Hey @X … It’s not you … but it IS you,” it wrote.
We’re leaving X (Twitter). It’s time to take the conversation elsewhere. We’ll still be on other platforms with news & stories about Vic communities we work with & how we help them. pic.twitter.com/RCCOZ0O4n2
— Victorian Dept of Families, Fairness & Housing (@VicGovDFFH) March 26, 2024
In a statement, the department – which oversees areas such as child protection, family violence, housing and LGBTIQA+ equality – said X no longer aligned with its goals.
“We’re working to create a more inclusive Victoria. To do that work we want to speak with our community on platforms where we can reach our audiences safely and productively,” it said.
“We’re investing in conversation on more suitable platforms.”
This is understood to include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
The Department of Jobs Skills, Industry and Regions, meanwhile, has locked its X account and confirmed it will soon close it.
“We regularly review our communication channels to ensure we’re speaking to Victorians on their preferred channels – our audience’s engagement with the X (formerly Twitter) account has declined, so we are moving towards closing this account,” a spokesperson said.
Guardian Australia understands all state government departments are assessing whether they should remain on the platform.
It’s likely Department of Health and Department of Transport accounts will be the only ones to remain because they provide daily updates on things such as public transport disruptions and public health information.
Millions of users have quit X in the wake of Musk’s takeover and his dramatic refashioning of the platform. This has included relaxing its content moderation rules that previously limited hateful content, and restoring far-right accounts.
Data released on Wednesday by app-monitoring company Sensor Tower suggests X has lost 15% of its global users since November 2022, just after Musk completed his takeover.
Last year, the ABC’s managing director, David Anderson, shut down almost all of the public broadcaster’s official accounts on X, citing “toxic interactions”, as well as cost and minimal traffic.
At the time, Musk accused the ABC of embracing censorship.
JOY – Australia’s first and only LGBTQI+ community radio station – on Wednesday also announced it was “time to X-it” the platform, which it joined in 2009.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve felt the atmosphere change from a fun, supportive space to a space openly hostile towards our communities,” it wrote in a statement posted on its website.
“We really don’t want to subject our team to the kind of hostility currently found on the platform, so we’re officially out.”
