ECSA and ECS are leaving X
Dorte Riemenschneider
Nov. 27, 2024, 12:36 p.m.
Here’s why you should join us
The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the European Citizen Science (ECS) project are leaving X (formerly Twitter), and we invite you to join us. The decision to leave X stems from significant ethical and practical concerns involving the management of the platform.
We invite you to follow us on our newly opened Bluesky account, as well as on the already existing LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook channels.
ECSA and ECS path to a more ethical and sustainable social media presence
Since Elon Musk acquired the platform, X has shifted focus, prioritising profit over fundamental values like safety and inclusivity. Many previously basic free features have been locked behind a paywall, reducing accessibility.
These changes undermine the values ECSA and ECS stand for, and we believe it is no longer a space that aligns with our mission or serves our community effectively. Our decision also echoes the concerns and decisions of many organisations and individuals who are now taking the same path as us. The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether X may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers.
We’ll keep our X accounts active over the coming weeks, and progressively stop publishing on it until the end of January 2025. After this point the accounts will be frozen, but not deleted: this is to preserve an archive of our previous news, stories, and activities and avoid the misuse of ECSA- and ECS-named accounts absent our presence.
Guide to joining Bluesky
Various social media platforms have increased in popularity due to former X users searching for new digital homes. In addition to LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, we chose Bluesky as ECSA and ECS’s new social media platform because it offers a better alternative, combining familiarity with innovation:
It is structured similarly to X, with greater user control and privacy.
It combines open-source technology with the U.S. Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) legal framework, aiming to balance profitability with positive societal impact.
The platform is designed to encourage connections and user interaction, allowing users to choose their algorithms and personalise their experience rather than prioritising virality.
Our social media
ECSA and ECS are already present on various platforms (see table below). Now we would like to better understand how our community uses social media and which channels are most popular, so that we can provide a more useful and effective service. We invite you to complete this brief survey, which should take no more than two minutes of your time.
ECSA and ECS social media survey
ECSA and ECS social media channels