X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced a 90-minute outage that left users worldwide unable to access the social media platform. The disruption occurred early on Thursday ET, with users opening the app finding a blank timeline and, on desktop, a message that simply read “Welcome to X.” On mobile, the app suggested accounts to follow.
Despite the outage, users still found ways to express their frustration, with several comments appearing on Down Detector, a site that monitors the performance of online services. One user quipped, “Everybody else’s account acting like it’s the first time you logged in?” while another commented, “My Twitter has completely crashed. Can’t see any posts whatsoever.”
The cause of the outage is still unclear, as the platform’s email address for media inquiries received a standard response stating, “Busy now, please check back later.” This lack of transparency has become a recurring issue for X, with the company’s support account failing to provide any explanation for the outage or information on whether it’s been fully resolved.
The recent disruption marks the second incident to affect X’s service this month, following a brief issue with outgoing links a week ago. However, these outages have been relatively rare in recent weeks, leading some users to become complacent about the platform’s reliability. The series of outages earlier in the year, prompted by significant layoffs and the takeover by Elon Musk, had shaken users’ confidence in the service.
X’s struggle to maintain a reliable service has been a topic of concern for users and analysts alike. The company’s efforts to revamp its service and attract new users have been met with mixed results. Some changes, such as the introduction of video calls and the ability to charge for new, unverified accounts, have been received positively. However, other decisions, such as the deletion of old Twitter images, have been met with controversy.
The latest outage may have come as a surprise to some users who had grown accustomed to a smoother service. As X continues to evolve and adapt to the changing terrain of social media, it’s essential that the company prioritizes transparency and communication with its users. In the absence of clear information, users are left to speculate about the cause of the outage and wonder if it’s a sign of more troubles to come.
As the platform’s support account remains silent, users will continue to look elsewhere for answers and updates. In the meantime, X’s competitors, such as Threads, are likely to capitalize on the downtime, potentially luring away disenchanted users. The social media terrain is notoriously competitive, and X’s struggles to maintain a reliable service could have lasting consequences for the company’s reputation and user base.