If you are one of the increasing number of users in the United Kingdom who are considering deleting your X account, this is how you can do it.
Several people have questioned whether or not it is time to cancel their accounts on X after misinformation fuelled riots on the far right and there was an increase in hate speech on the platform.
Jess Phillips, a minister for the Labour Party, referred to the platform as “a place of misery,” while Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool, stated that it is time for politicians to consider abandoning the platform.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, took advantage of his platform to criticise Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for stating that “civil war is inevitable” in the United Kingdom owing to “incompatible cultures.”
In the year 2020, Mr. Musk, who had previously purchased Twitter, made a number of comments about the police in the United Kingdom, specifically concerning the manner in which the government deals with encouraging violence on social media. The question “Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?” was written by him in response to allegations that a person had been charged over a post that they had made on Facebook.
Users that have left X in recent weeks include the artist Paloma Faith as well as the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, which is part of the National Health Service.
Due to the fact that Mr. Musk seized control of the app in 2022 and shortly thereafter rebranded it as Twitter, the number of active users on the app has decreased. The number of users across the globe dropped from 368 million in 2023 to 359 million in 2023, and it is anticipated that this figure will continue to decrease this year. One of the adjustments that the billionaire from the United States has made to the application is the addition of a paid premium option as well as an increase in advertising.
Google’s data reveals that searches for “delete Twitter” and “delete X” reached their highest point in the United Kingdom (UK) last week, and they continue to be almost 200 percent higher than the average over the course of the previous year.
Mayor Steve Rotheram is the representative for Southport, which is a neighborhood in Liverpool. In the past month, three children were killed in an incident that was widely misattributed on social media to an asylum seeker. This attack sparked hate speech and contributed to the fuelling of the far right.
He stated to Politics Home, “It is really revolting. There is a pressing need for action to be taken because [X] is in a terrible state.
“The time is drawing near where we all need to examine whether we should, collectively, withdraw from it and for there to be a different platform,” said the speaker.
Ms. Phillips made the following statement about X while she was speaking about it over the weekend at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival: “Fundamentally for me now, I think that I am sort of done with it. I have decided that I do not want to continue fishing in that particular pond.
She continued by saying, “In the past, I was extremely addicted to Twitter.” Because of my personality, I am particularly prone to addiction. It had a very addictive effect on me.
“The only authority we now possess over something that is starting to act in a tyrannical manner is the ability to opt out of it. In this particular instance, you cast your vote with your feet rather than with a pen and paper.
Ever since he purchased the website, Mr. Musk has been a strong advocate for X as a forum for free speech.
How to delete your Twitter / X account
Deactivating your Twitter or X account is the first step you need to take before you can delete it. The mobile app and the desktop version of the software are both simple to use; however, the two versions are slightly different.
First, go to the ‘Settings and Privacy’ section of the menu. This may be found under the ‘More’ button on the desktop. Then navigate to the area labelled “Your Account.” Since this is the most prominent choice, it ought to be displayed automatically. A button that says “Deactivate your account” will be located at the bottom of this screen for you to select.
The terms and conditions of deactivation will be displayed on a screen that will appear. In order to move forward, you must click the red button that says “Deactivate.”
Nevertheless, at this time, your account will not be permanently erased or permanently destroyed. It will continue to be inactive for a period of thirty days, and it will go away entirely only when this period of time has passed. For premium users, you have the option to allow your account to remain inactive for a period of up to one year.
If you want to create a new account using the same username or email address, you will have to wait until the deactivation period is over before you can do so. In order to circumvent this, users have the ability to alter their username or email address before cancelling their account, which means they will not need to wait.
Before you make the decision to deactivate your account, you are required to download your X data if you choose to do so. In the event that the account is deleted, it will no longer be accessible.