In a move to streamline its social media presence, Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) announced the deactivation of its X (formerly Twitter) account. The decision was made in response to low user engagement on the platform. Sean Bonney, a spokesman for the library, provided insight into the decision, stating, “CRRL focuses on connecting with users in our service region, and unfortunately, the X account did not generate the desired level of engagement.”
According to Bonney, CRRL, which serves the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Westmoreland, commits to reaching its community through various channels. While the X account has been deactivated, the library assured that its events, services, and news will continue to be actively promoted on CRRL’s other social media accounts. There are no plans to add or remove any additional accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Flickr.
Bonney emphasized the library’s dedication to providing diverse services to the community. He stated, “CRRL offers a wide range of resources in our eight facilities, through our mobile delivery services, and online at our award-winning website librarypoint.org. Our goal is to effectively engage with our patrons and keep them informed about the valuable services we offer.”
The decision to deactivate the account was made in September 2023.
According to a report from Similar Web, in September 2023, global web traffic to Twitter experienced a significant decline, with a -14% year-over-year decrease on twitter.com and a -16.5% drop on the ads.twitter.com portal for advertisers, according to Similarweb estimates. In the U.S., which contributes about a quarter of twitter.com’s traffic, September saw a steeper decline of -19%.
However, platform owner Elon Musk’s profile and posts on Twitter experienced a notable positive trend, with a 96% year-over-year increase in traffic in September. Despite the decline, Twitter’s competitors have not significantly lured away its user base. Musk’s ownership has been marked by controversy, particularly regarding his $44 million acquisition of the company in 2022 and his ongoing feud with the media, Similar Web reported.
