DIOCESES are leaving the social-media site X (formerly Twitter), referring to concerns in regards to the direction of the platform, which was acquired by the South African businessman Elon Musk in 2022.
Last week, the account of the diocese of Winchester carried a press release announcing that it was “now not energetic” on the platform, while the diocese of Norwich announced that it would go away on 31 January, alongside the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher.
This followed a post on the diocese of Bristol account on 6 January, setting out a “conscious decision” to stop using X. “As a diocese, we felt growing discomfort in regards to the current direction of the platform and its negative effect on members of our clergy and our wider diocesan community and have concluded that it now not aligns with our values.” The diocese has an account on another site, BlueSky, although the Bishop of Bristol, Dr Vivienne Faull, stays on X.
In a press release issued at the tip of November, the diocese of Salisbury said that it, and its three bishops, had also decided to depart the location. They used the identical language of “growing discomfort”, and referred to a “negative effect that some debate have had on social cohesion and church unity. We imagine that, on balance, it serves polarisation and profit fairly than connection and understanding.”
The statement continued: “We aren’t leaving because we draw back from difficult decisions, but because we imagine that these must be conducted in ways in which honour human dignity and construct up our common life.”
Since the acquisition of X by Mr Musk, who took the location into private ownership, concerns have been raised a few decline carefully and the amplification of misinformation, hate speech, and extremism. Last yr, it had 368 million monthly energetic users worldwide. In the UK, it’s the third hottest social-media site, and has about ten per cent of market share. Facebook has 60 per cent.
This week, the Church Times approached nine dioceses whose X accounts had not posted any content in recent weeks and even months. A spokeswoman for Canterbury, where the account has been dormant since 2023, said that a “pragmatic decision” had been taken to pay attention social-media efforts on Facebook and Instagram, “where we’ve simpler and positive engagement”; just one person had asked about it being dormant.
A spokeswoman for the diocese of Chester, where nothing has been posted since last month, said: “As a small and comparatively recent team, we’re rarely posting on X because we are usually not resourced sufficiently to watch, respond, and properly engage in conversations. However, we’re aware of the moral debate and concerns expressed by some clergy and other dioceses who’ve already left X. We are giving this our consideration as a part of a wider review of our Diocesan communications strategy and all platforms.”
Nothing has been posted on the diocese of Ely’s account since 2023. A spokesman said that the choice to not post was “not in response to any particular issue, simply that our efforts have been directed through other channels — similar to Facebook — in preference, as time resources have allowed”.
The diocese of Oxford, whose account has also been dormant since 2023, said that it was undertaking work to “consider our priorities for social media presence”.
A spokeswoman for the diocese of Truro, where nothing has been posted since last month, said: “We haven’t left, but have definitely made a conscious decision to not use it as much, if in any respect. We have joined Bluesky. There are quite a few reasons. Our major audiences are elsewhere. The content and tone of X is kind of toxic quite a lot of the time and with limited resources we’re specializing in those platforms that help us connect best with our key audiences and supply a more positive space for us and our users.”
A spokesman for the diocese of Sodor & Man, whose account has been dormant since 2017, said: “We’re mainly on web FB and Bluesky now. The latter having a feel of X when all of it first began.”
The other dioceses — Carlisle, Coventry and Derby — had not responded on the time of going to press.
Commenting on X, some clergy questioned diocesan decisions to depart the location. The Bishop of Barking, the Rt Revd Lynne Cullens, described it as “disappointing. . . Never was there greater need for the Established Church to keep up presence, and to bring an on-going Christian critique of the location’s political trajectory and increasingly malign influence.”
The Vicar of Sholing, the Revd Garry Roberts, said that he was “saddened” that Winchester had decided to depart. “We follow Jesus who commanded us to enter all of the world, not only the places that suit us and feel comfortable in. Sad that they’ll not be proclaiming the Gospel in a spot that desperately needs it.”
Since its launch in 2006, Twitter/X has proved a preferred form for Anglican discussion and debate. After social-media usage has appeared in disciplinary proceedings and news headlines, national and diocesan social-media guidelines have been produced for the clergy (News, 5 July 2019).
Last yr, a review of trust and trustworthiness within the Church of England reported that the “harm of social media” had been a recurrent theme in discussions (News, 28 June 2024). While the reviewers accepted “its remarkable value in connecting people and sharing information”, it said, “the behaviour inside and out of doors the Church of posting comments without regard for those about whom or to whom we’re writing has grow to be an immensely destructive behaviour in using social media.”
Harm was not at all times the intention, it suggested. “What some readers receive as hurtful and disparaging, the writer and their allies may imagine to be words spoken with integrity, prophetically difficult a culture they feel called to talk against.”
The Church Times stays on X. We proceed to often review our social media presence and explore recent platforms. You may find the Church Times on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.
