City of Cambridge will no longer use X, cites concerns with ‘reliability, accountability and direction’

The City of Cambridge will no longer use X, formerly known as Twitter, to deliver information to residents. CTV’s Ashley Bacon explains why.

The City of Cambridge will no longer use a social media platform to help get their messages out.

In a news release on Monday, the city said they have stopped using X, formerly known as Twitter, due to concerns regarding the website’s reliability, accountability and direction.

“This decision follows ongoing concerns about the platform’s viability as a trusted space for public communication as content found and promoted on X, includes racism and misinformation. The city feels X no longer aligns with the values of inclusivity, respect, integrity, service and responsible communication,” the release said.

The city will continue using other platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and will be exploring other alternatives, such as Bluesky.

Community reaction

CTV News hit the streets of Cambridge to speak with some residents about the decision.

“I didn’t use it because I didn’t know how accurate it was,” said one resident.

Another adding, “I was happy they did it because I don’t want to support the negativity that is on that site, the false information, and I think the city needs to stand for something because a lot of times people don’t stand for anything.”

CTV’s technology analyst, Carmi Levy, also weighed in on the trend.

“I think it’s reasonable for municipalities to ask themselves, ‘does it make sense for us to use a social media platform, insert another intermediary between us and our audience, us and our community? Or should we simply use the platforms that we already control?’ So things like websites, text messaging, email, other forms of messaging and go directly to our stakeholders the way the internet kind of used to be before social media changed the rules for everyone.”

Will other municipalities follow suit?

The City of Guelph said they have an account for X but doesn’t spend any advertising dollars on the platform.

“The City of Guelph continues to evaluate social media platforms and tools and adjust our policies as needed to enable effective, transparent, two-way communication with Guelph residents and businesses,” a statement to CTV News read. “We are taking a thoughtful, informed approach that aligns with other public institutions (including the Provincial and Federal governments) and reflects our community’s needs. X currently accounts for the largest number of followers out of all our social media channels, so we know it’s a platform that many members of our community rely on for timely information. At this time, the City still has an X account but does not spend advertising dollars on X.”

It is a similar situation at the City of Kitchener.

“The City of Kitchener uses a variety of social media channels to keep residents informed, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN and X,” their statement to CTV News read. “We use these platforms to share updates on City news, events, and important information likes road closures and parking bans. We listen closely to our residents and choose to use each platform in ways that best suit how they engage...for now, we continue to use X to communicate with residents while we review our social media use and explore alternative platforms. We understand concerns about changes in platform management and content moderation. Still, many local residents, media, and businesses use the City of Kitchener’s X account to engage, get news, and have their questions answered.”

The City of Waterloo said they are currently reviewing its social media strategy.

“We had a lot of concerns raised by staff, by our council, by members of the public and we do always keep an eye on these platforms based on the platform management policies, content moderations, policies, things like that,” said Cari Van Kiekerk, director of corporate communications for the city. “So while we are reviewing our use of all our social media platforms, we are continuing to use them for now because we do have an audience there.”