Subscribers to ILN’s popular email newsletter were invited last week to have their say on X in the wake of British newspaper The Guardian’s high-profile decision to abandon the platform.

Some 73 per cent of the 120 respondents said ILN should follow suit, with just 20 per cent opposed and 7.5 per cent undecided.

Perhaps the most remarkable finding is that nearly half of those who previously used X told our survey that they had left the platform at some point over the past year.

Excluding the 29.2 per cent of respondents who said they have never used X, some 49 per cent said they had left and a further 25 per cent said they now used the platform less.

Just nine per cent said they now use the platform more, while 15 per cent reported no change.

Interesting comments were submitted by readers on both sides of the divide.

A small handful defended Musk’s stewardship of the platform. They said X is a platform for “free speech” or that detractors simply “do not like the truth”. Another said leaving “smacks of virtue signalling which people just don’t appreciate”.

One reader bluntly stated: “I agree with Elon Musk’s views and find The Guardian’s perspective to be abhorrent.”

Some readers acknowledged concerns about X but said it was important for publishers to stay on the platform. “If X is posting disinformation, there is a responsibility to counter that information,” one wrote.

However, the vast majority of comments were sharply critical — describing X as “toxic”, “a vile site”, “dangerous” and “a leading platform for the spread of vitriolic disinformation”.

One reader said: “X is like cigarette smoking because it is both addictive and toxic. Under its new ownership it has become cancerous. I don’t see upside to staying hence why I suggest leaving.”

Another welcomed the fact that prominent Irish law firms have wound down their presence on the platform and questioned why government departments had not yet done the same.

One comment pointed out that communications was once “seen as an intern’s job”, but that was certainly no longer the case. “It’s a C-suite position for reputation management and nuanced brand strategy in a polarised and increasingly chaotic landscape,” they said.

Following the readers’ poll, Irish Legal News has decided to immediately suspend posting to X.

Editor Connor Beaton said: “Our readers have returned their verdict — and it’s a damning appraisal of what was previously considered a crucial social media platform for legal professionals.

“Our decision to suspend posting to X has not been taken lightly, especially considering we have built a large audience of nearly 10,000 followers since joining Twitter in 2015.

“However, with many lawyers, firms and other trusted institutions departing, it is clear that serious and permanent damage has been done to the platform’s reputation.

“We will therefore pause our use of X and work to establish a presence on alternative social media platforms like Bluesky, which has gained millions of new users in recent days.

“We are always looking at new opportunities to expand our social media reach. Our relatively new Instagram page has become a hit with law students in particular.

“We will keep the situation under review — and will continue to take our cues from our loyal readers and advertisers.”

You can now find Irish Legal News on Bluesky as well as LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.