Devon County Council distances itself from Elon Musk's X

The local authority has been asked why it has essentially abandoned using the service given its number of followers – around 52,000 – was higher than any other individual social media application it uses.

Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) had wanted to know who made the decision to stop using X at the beginning of the year and why.

Cllr Jess Bailey. (Image: East Devon District Council)

Cabinet member for organisational development, workforce and digital transformation Cllr Andrew Saywell (Conservative, Torrington Rural), explained the key reasons.

“X has become a very toxic place with high levels of abuse and disinformation,” he said in a written answer submitted to Devon’s full council.

“DCC staff – including communication team colleagues managing the platform – were faced with daily abuse.

“The reporting system [of X] is not fit for purpose, as you can only get support with a paid subscription.”

Cllr Saywell added that “hundreds of previously banned accounts” that were known for spreading hate and disinformation were reinstated when owner Elon Musk acquired Twitter before he re-branded it.

Elon Musk. (Image: Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

He said a study by the European Commission showed X has “the biggest proportion of disinformation of the six big social networks” and that DCC’s account was dormant but could be reactivated if needed.

The cost of Twitter – set at $2,000 for a basic subscription or $10,000 for full access – was also an impediment.

“In the current financial climate, and with declining engagement, we felt unable to put resource into a platform we can’t measure,” he said.

Other councils are also avoid actively engaging with X, Cllr Saywell said, adding that the council is instead focusing on its Facebook and Instagram accounts, with 34,000 and 6,000 followers, respectively.

It also has 23,000 followers on LinkedIn and 332 residents using its WhatsApp channel.