Chippenham Town Council abandons X account
They'll be closing it down today (1 November)
Today, Chippenham Town Council's stepping away from the social media site X - formerly known as Twitter.
In a post earlier this month bosses on the site made the announcement, saying it 'no longer feels appropriate' to remain because of a 'significant decline in engagement'.
In a shock move, the council say recent changes on the platform have made them 'reconsider' their use of social media.
We've been catching up with an expert about the move from the University of Bath.
She tells us there's been a recent trend in people leaving the site, in favour of other platforms.
Dr Olivia Brown, who specialises in social media at the University of Bath, where she's an Associate Professor in Digital Futures, said: "This is not a unique phenomenon, that people are leaving, or having conversations, about leaving X.
"I think a lot of those conversations were exacerbated following the Southport protests earlier this year, and the questions around misinformation following the aftermath of that.
"There has been a change in how content has been moderated since the new owner, Elon Musk, took over.
"There's also been a change in how content reaches the top of people's recommendation algorithms.
"Some people have been suggesting that this content is more hateful, and there's been less moderation where they want to see the moderation.
"There have been definite shifts, so there is definitely truth to that claim made by the council.
"X is quite unique, though, because people right now use it primarily for news now, so they expect they'll be able to access things like council updates on that platform.
"That's not to say that new norms can't be created, and people can't be directed to other platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to get that same information."
'Recent changes on the platform have made us reconsider the Town Council's presence'
The full statement read: "The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been great place to engage with our local community but recent changes on the platform have made us reconsider the Town Council's presence.
"We have noticed a significant increase in unfiltered and inappropriate content which does not align with the Town Council's values. There has also been a significant decline in engagement and relevant interaction on the platform.
"Therefore, it no longer feels appropriate for the Town Council to remain on X, and after careful consideration, we have decided to remove the Town Council's X account on 1 November 2024.
"This will enable all Chippenham Town Council X accounts time to inform their followers about the change for Chippenham Museum, Stanley Park Sports Ground, Neeld Community & Arts Centre, Chippenham Neighboirhood Plan accounts on the platform."
The local Conservative association are urging them to reconsider, calling it a 'crucial' place to inform young poeple.
We've contacted X for a response.