CNA joins province's public libraries as more N.L. groups ditch Musk-owned X platform
Library says X has become a source of online misinformation
Another one of Newfoundland and Labrador's public institutions is pulling out of X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.
In a Friday afternoon news release, the College of the North Atlantic said effective immediately it would no longer post on X, and instead will transition toward Bluesky, a competing social media company with a similar format to X.
"Bluesky provides a platform that allows CNA to connect with students, staff, media, industry and the broader community in a way that supports open, positive communication," said CNA communications manager Ryan Crocker in the release. "Class is dismissed for good on Twitter — but is now in session on Bluesky."
CNA's announcement comes shortly after Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries (NLPL) said it would be moving off X, formerly known as Twitter, as of March 1.
The organization said it would remain on Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook.
"As an organization, we no longer felt that it was a good fit for us," director of library operations Fred Whitmarsh told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
There are a number of reasons behind the decision to leave X, he said, pointing to how the discourse on the platform has shifted and the drop off of user engagement the library has seen on its account.
For several years, he said the number of followers on NLPL's account hovered around 4,000, but in recent weeks it has dropped.
When the library posted its decision to leave X on that platform, he said they got 20 comments and shares as opposed to the same announcement on Facebook, which got more 100 comments and shares.
"As a community organization, we need to be where the community is," said Whitmarsh.
He said that level of engagement, compared to other platforms like Instagram, has helped the library determine where they could put their focus on.
"We're a lean organization. We don't have staff who are exclusively dedicated to social media and communications. These are other library staff who are doing this work in addition to their other assigned duties," Whitmarsh said.
City considering leaving X
The platform launched in 2012 and was bought by Elon Musk in 2022, who renamed it X soon after. Musk is now a member of U.S. President Donald Trump's inner circle and is accused of giving two Nazi salutes at the presidential inauguration in January.
In recent months other government bodies and organizations have either left X or are considering it.
St. John's Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary brought forward a motion to council on Tuesday, asking them to look into closing the city's X account.
"It has become a vessel certainly of vitriol," she told CBC News in a recent interview.
CBC News recently asked the provincial government if it was considering shuttering its multiple X accounts. Executive council spokesperson David Sorensen said it was a vital way to get information to the public.
When asked if he was planning to move away from X, Premier Andrew Furey gave a broad warning.
"I urge everybody, when making their decisions on what media platforms to use, what cars to buy, to look at what the people behind them actually represent — the values that they are very open about, the values that they espouse," Furey said.
"Do those values reflect who we are?"
Fighting disinformation
X has become a source of online misinformation, says Whitmarsh, and NLPL thinks about that problem.
"We want to meet that disinformation, or misinformation, with reliable, accurate and vetted resources," he said.
WATCH | N.L. Public Libraries wants to be a source for vetted, reliable resources:
The library provides accurate information through its programs and collections, he said, like subscriptions to services like the worldwide newspaper database PressReader as well as OverDrive Magazine.
"If people are looking for news and current information that's reliable — that's a really great place," Whitmarsh said.
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With files from The St. John’s Morning Show