For now, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts remain users of Elon Musk's X - but will they decide to jump ship?

                                                                

How the BTO revealed that it was lapsing its X account in favour of various social media alternatives 

NEXT Friday January 16 marks the first anniversary since the BTO decided to stop using X, formerly known as Twitter, for social media posts.

It was one of many organisations that took objection both to the acrimonious comment that was often being posted and to the  political views of X's owner, Elon Musk.

Since May last year, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has also deactivated its X account, announcing its decision thus: "Over the past few months, we have seen a steady loss of followers and engagement with our content. 

"At the same time, under Elon Musk’s ownership, we have seen a rise in negative and abusive commentary, hate speech and misinformation.

"We have been mulling over whether to leave X for a while, but there have been recent developments that have given us the final nudge.

"WWT is a value-led charity, and we speak up boldly for those values, especially during challenging times. 

"We are innovative, proactive, inspiring, collaborative and progressive - and what’s happening on X right now clearly shows us that it is time to move on.

"Social media continues to help us reach you with important news about our conservation work. 

"You can still help us in our mission to restore and protect wetlands by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube." 

Following this week's fresh controversy about X and its AI sister, Grok, it is likely that the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts might also come under pressure to pull out.