Brazilian officials banned X earlier this month allegedly due to its failure to address harmful misinformation. The platform was ordered to suppress accounts challenging the legitimacy of the 2022 Brazilian election results. The company’s refusal led to the closure of its local office and the subsequent ban. It had around 22 million daily active users in Brazil, representing about 10% of the local population.
The Twitter alternative, Bluesky, added 3 million users in the past week, reflecting a 50% growth since the X ban. The platform briefly topped the iPhone ‘Free’ app charts in Brazil during this period.
According to SensorTower, Meta’s Threads also saw a significant increase in downloads in Brazil.
Elon Musk has suggested that his platform remains highly popular in Brazil, referencing its ranking in the ‘News’ app category. This claim is viewed as misleading since the platform is not primarily a news app and is listed under ‘News’ on iOS due to past management decisions.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
In contrast, Brazil’s news app, ‘O Trabalhador,’ has fewer than a million total active installs, highlighting a discrepancy in app categories. The disruption caused by the platform’s ban has provided an opportunity for Meta to attract more users, with Threads and Bluesky benefiting from the shift in user engagement.
