Theatre industry leaves Elon Musk's X for Bluesky

SUBSCRIBE

My Account

My Library

Login

Shakespeare

Photo: Shutterstock

Theatre companies, advocacy groups and PRs are making the shift from X to surging social media site Bluesky, with some saying the site formerly known as Twitter is "irrelevant" and unhealthy.

Groups, including Freelancers Make Theatre Work and the Independent Theatre Council, are exploring the networking service as many look to leave X over concerns over hate speech and spam.

FMTW, which confirmed it will stay on X for the time being, acknowledged that "the platform Twitter provides is no longer what it once was.

"It has increasingly become a space riddled with toxic language and behaviour, seemingly deliberate misinformation, and algorithms that suppress genuine free speech, while claiming to do the opposite," the organisation said in a blog.

But in a post to Bluesky, FMTW said it had "raised the curtain" on a new account and joined a throng of other theatre bodies and workers flocking to the platform.

Mobius Industries, an arts marketing agency, has meanwhile decided to abandon X entirely.

Managing director Richard Fitzmaurice said the decision to leave was "both moral and practical."

Fitzmaurice said: "X has become toxic – especially to marginalised groups, including many artists we work with."

But he added: "From a marketing perspective, X has become inefficient: algorithm changes, bot overload and declining engagement have rendered it almost irrelevant, while analytics are locked behind paywalls – other platforms now offer far better returns."

Continues...

Related to this article

Critics are not marketeers, but the lines are being blurred on social media

With Bluesky on the horizon, is the sun going down on ‘Theatre Twitter’?

Hampshire-based Gamma Ray Theatre company echoed Mobius’ position, telling The Stage: "We’ve found that, unless it’s during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, any engagement on X has just plummeted."

Despite not yet recouping the number of followers it had on X on Bluesky, Gamma Ray said it had found it was enjoying "way more engagement" on the newer app.

Meanwhile, Granville Theatre in Ramsgate, Kent, has never used X. Lead programmer Molly Mallon said the organisation had felt its reliance on "rapid, broad-stroke communication" did not "align with our goals".

Bluesky, Mallon said, was an "interesting development" for the arts community, holding potential as a space for "professionals and fans to exchange ideas, collaborate and foster connections".

But Mallon suggested many would find they choose to prioritise video content such as TikTok posts and Instagram Reels – with the Granville saying the form allows the venue to share "compelling stories, showcase behind-the-scenes moments and connect with audiences in a visually engaging way".

Meanwhile, Leicester Curve’s executive director of audiences and commercial operations, Claire Ward, said the theatre was also intending to "join the Bluesky world in the very near future", adding: "We want to speak to our audiences wherever they may be."

Set up in 2021 by former Twitter boss and co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky looks and operates very similarly to its rival. It is now run by chief executive Jay Graber.

So far, it has more than 20 million users, with its popularity spiking in the days after Donald Trump’s re-election in the United States.

The exodus has been attributed to X owner and Trump associate Elon Musk’s unbending commitment to what he considers free speech – and what others have said is actually a permissiveness that allows for hateful commentary including racism and misogyny.

Those who have drawn a line in the sand over X include news organisation the Guardian, which said it would no longer post stories to the site.

Others, including Hull-based theatre company Middle Child, say they will stay for the time being. But in a post to the Middle Child website, Jamie Potter, the organisation’s audience development manager, said it would tentatively remain on X while exploring Bluesky’s potential.

"If I’m honest, we’ll follow the crowd," Potter wrote.