Clifton Suspension Bridge has sensationally revealed it will be leaving social media platform X in response to the proliferation of “inappropriate content” appearing on the site.
In what marks a devastating blow for Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, the famed Bristol bridge has called a wrap on its 15 years on Twitter, saying changes made under his steer have caused it to “reconsider our use of it”.
The headline-grabbing news follows revelations that the Guardian newspaper will no longer post on X owing to it becoming home to a hotbed of “far-right conspiracy theories and racism”.
Usage on the platform has slumped by more than a fifth since the Tesla billionaire took over and invited political personalities such as Donald Trump, Andrew Tate and Elon Musk back onto the platform.
It has allowed new social media sites such as Bluesky to profit as a result, mopping up more than a million users to its platform since the US election.
Announcing its intention to withdraw official editorial accounts, the Guardian noted on its website that the benefits of being on X are “now outweighed by the negatives”.
They said:
“This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.
“Social media can be an important tool for news organisations and help us to reach new audiences but, at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.”
Related: How Musk used X to get Trump elected – and then cashed in on the result