
A story in the Church Times shows a difference of opinion within the Church of England as to whether to continue with X, now owned by businessman, Elon Musk.
Last week, the Diocese of Winchester said it was “no longer active” on the platform and the Diocese of Norwich announced it would leave on 31 January. And in a statement issued back in November, the Diocese of Salisbury said that it had also decided to leave, noting that “on balance, (the platform) serves polarisation and profit rather than connection and understanding.”
The Diocese of Bristol meanwhile has set out a “conscious decision” to stop using X. “As a diocese, we felt growing discomfort about 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 no longer aligns with our values.”
The Church Times approached other dioceses that had not been active recently on X. Among them, Canterbury, said a “pragmatic decision” had been taken to refocus on Facebook and Instagram, while Chester and Oxford said they were reviewing their priorities, and Ely said their efforts were being directed through other channels.
The Diocese of Truro said a decision had been taken not to use X as much, and one of the reasons given was that “the content and tone of X is quite toxic a lot of the time and … we are focusing on those platforms that help us connect best with our key audiences and provide a more positive space for us and our users.”
Generally it appears from the article that social media platform BlueSky is benefitting from dioceses’ withdrawal from X.
Taking a different view, the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Revd Lynne Cullens, described such withdrawals as “disappointing… Never was there greater need for the Established Church to maintain presence, and to bring an on-going Christian critique of the site’s political trajectory and increasingly malign influence.” And the Vicar of Sholing, the Revd Garry Roberts, in a similar vein, said, “We follow Jesus who commanded us to go into all the world, not just the places that suit us and (we) feel comfortable in.”
The Church Times, however, has decided to remain. “We continue to regularly review our social media presence and explore new platforms”, they said. “You can also find the Church Times on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.”
Read the Church Times story here.