The City of Prince George recently announced that it would no longer be using X (formerly Twitter) for regular updates and will monitor it far less frequently.
“The main reason is decreasing engagement,” said Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor for the city. “We do a social media review at the start of the year and we look at our current platforms and we assess audience growth and engagement … We've just gone through our 2024-25 review and had a look at the stats and it's the only platform where growth and engagement are on the decline. So it just doesn't seem overly beneficial to keep investing the time into it.”
The city's X account, @CityofPG, has 5,706 followers and is following 230 other users.
Another factor behind the decision were changes to the app itself that have happened since Elon Musk bought the company and changed its name.
“I think it's just reflective of users on the platform in general,” said Thwaites. “I don't think it's our content that is slowing it down because we've seen a change across the other platforms. For example, we've seen a 17 per cent growth in followers on Instagram. I think it's probably more reflective of just the climate on X in general and a lot of people choosing to move away from that platform.”
The city is still planning on making regular posts to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. As well, staff is also looking into reaching out on different platforms such as Threads, Bluesky and Reddit.
The city’s X account will still be used for important updates and information, such as reports on road closures, scams, and emergencies.
