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Mastodon sees traffic soar by 588% following Musk’s Twitter takeover

Mastodon’s traffic increased by 1.4 million in November, a 588 per cent increase in just a month, figures show.

Analysis of Similarweb data reveals 9.5 million users visited the Twitter rival in November 2022. Visits have exploded to over six times the amount from October, going from 1.4 million to 9.5 million in just a month as the ongoing Elon Musk Twitter overhaul sees users and advertisers seek alternative platforms.

Google Trends data also reveals that worldwide searches for ‘Twitter alternative’ soared 504 per cent in November to an all-time high.

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover divided users as the company began implementing bans on Twitter parody accounts, including comedian Kathy Griffin. Musk also hit out at Mastodon social in a now-deleted tweet, potentially driving millions to the website.

The peak of the trend, November 18th, coincides with Elon Musk starting a poll asking for users to vote on whether to reinstate Donald Trump’s account.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson at Financial World said: “There are rumours of Twitter’s demise circling the internet.

“Social networks come and go, but Twitter still pulls huge traffic numbers.

“Elon Musk has a loyal following who like his brand of humour and the way he does things. But with any personality, it doesn’t work for everyone. The Twitter debate is so contentious as it surrounds huge topics like free speech, which tends to polarise people on either side.

“Twitter’s huge numbers mean it’s unlikely that Mastodon will become a serious competitor until it cements itself into the mainstream social networking space. Users intend to look for new social media platforms to set up homes in, and Mastodon is one to watch for the future”.

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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