In case you’re a daily reader of Social Media Right this moment, then you definitely’ve little question learn my rantings on this earlier than, and it’s not likely information, as such, however extra of a peeve that continues to fester over time.

In any occasion, the crew at X continues to amplify random claims that “X is the primary information app in France,” “X is the #1 information app in Brazil,” “Essentially the most downloaded information app in Australia,” and many others.

And these claims are true, X is probably the most downloaded “information” app on iOS, in lots of, many areas. However that’s really as a consequence of artistic categorization of the app, and isn’t essentially a mirrored image of how worthwhile it’s as a information useful resource.

X re-categorized itself as a “information” app again in 2016, after a number of quarters of slowing progress, whereas Fb and Instagram have been booming. The comparability between Fb and Twitter frequently damage Twitter’s market notion, so the Twitter crew got here up with a genius plan to scale back the destructive measurement in opposition to Meta’s apps: Change Twitter’s categorization to the “information” class within the App Retailer as a substitute, shifting it out of the “Social Media” section.

Twitter does have a whole lot of information content material, and a whole lot of information publishers posting to it. It’s sort of a information app. Proper?

And that’s additionally true. In keeping with Pew Analysis, many X customers do use the app for information content material, extra so than different social apps:

So it might loosely be outlined as a “information” app, and never a social media app, a class the place it continues to lag, and could be ranked within the mid-40s for total downloads more often than not.

No, no, X is definitely a “information” app, as a result of that appears a lot better, even when it’s not a completely correct reflection of the app’s content material, utilization, reputation, and many others.

Inventive categorization, to affect market notion. And now, the X crew continues to make use of this as an indicator of the app’s enduring reputation, regardless of destructive press protection, regardless of criticism of Elon’s imaginative and prescient, and regardless of regional opposition to Elon Musk or X or Tesla or no matter else.

Living proof: Within the above submit, X CEO Linda Yaccarino is celebrating that X is the highest information app in France this week. That is seemingly regardless of Elon Musk doubtlessly insulting French chief Emmanuel Macron by making a joke about how he received a black eye final week.

So this reveals that X, in its place information supply, is liked by the folks, regardless of “mainstream” media lies about destructive notion. Proper?

Effectively, no, as a result of as you possibly can see on this chart from Sensor Tower, X is at all times the primary information app in France.

Positive, it would drop to quantity 2 often, however X leads the best way in information apps on iOS total, as a result of it has an enormous benefit over different, precise information apps.

That being that X will not be a information app, not less than not in the identical method because the others listed in the identical class.

For context, these are the highest 12 information apps on iOS in France proper now:

Yeah, I’m unsure that these apps could be thought of rivals to X. Most of them could be fortunate to have 1,000,000 or so lively customers, whereas X has over 17 million month-to-month lively customers in France.

You’ll word additionally that X can solely ever promote that it’s the primary information app on iOS, as a result of it’s really not allowed to categorize itself as a information app on Android.

Why?

“If apps include primarily user-generated content material (for instance, social media apps), they need to not declare themselves as information apps, and usually are not thought of to be information apps.”

So as a result of X is all user-generated content material, with no formally offered editorial content material of its personal, it’s not doable to re-categorize the app on Android as nicely.

In abstract, X continues to share deceptive data to re-frame itself as a frontrunner within the house, whereas the precise, auditable knowledge that it produces reveals that it’s shedding customers.

Certainly, based on X’s most up-to-date DSA report, the app is down 15% on total European utilization since Elon Musk took over on the app.

X will not be the primary information app, it’s not the primary social media app, and it’s actually only a middle-ground platform with restricted viewers potential for many.