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Elon Musk spent $44 billion on Twitter last year, ostensibly in a bid to preserve free speech, but the CEO's actions appear to have alienated some of the social network's user base, especially women and Black Twitter users.

Six in 10 Americans who used Twitter in the last 12 months have taken a breather of several weeks or more during the year, according to new data(Opens in a new window) from the Pew Research Center.

There are "especially pronounced differences by gender, race and ethnicity" when it comes to those departures, Pew finds. Women (69%) and Black users (67%) are more likely than male (54%), white (60%), or Hispanic (54%) folks to have taken a hiatus from Twitter.

Pew found no significant differences by age or political affiliation when it comes to leaving the platform. Data it released earlier this month, however, noted that political divides have only deepened since Musk took over the platform, with Republican and Republican-leaning Twitter users now more likely to say that Twitter is mostly good for democracy, while Democrats have gone in the opposite direciton.

Pew didn't ask why people took a breather, but it's been chaotic at Twitter in recent months. "These findings come amid debates in the media and even questions posed by Musk himself about whether Twitter is 'dying,'" says Pew Research Analyst Michelle Faverio. "Since Musk acquired the platform, some celebrities have publicly announced their departures from the site and popular accounts have reported abnormally large gains and losses in followers, among other changes."

Those numbers will likely remain in flux as the company welcomes Linda Yaccarino, former head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, as its new CEO. Her advertising connections are needed at Twitterwhich lost a host of advertisers last year when Musk stripped down content moderations systems, phased out legacy blue checkmarks, and allowed previously banned users back on the platform.

Pew surveyed people before Yaccarino's appointment, and found that 35% are unsure whether they'll still use Twitter in a year; a quarter plan to quit the platform altogether. Musk isn't going anywhere: he'll stay on as Twitter's chair and chief technology officer.

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People Are Spending Less Time on Twitter Since Elon Musk Took ... - PCMag