Lifewire: Why Twitter users are flocking to Mastodon
UC social media expert Jeffrey Blevins on the alternatives to Twitter
In a Lifewire article, it’s said that social platforms such as Mastodon have added about 30,000 new users in the hours after the Twitter sale.
Twitter, however, might be too entrenched in the social media sphere to be abandoned by users, says Jeffrey Blevins, who heads UC’s Department of Journalism.
The main advantage of Twitter is that it is established, he said, adding that “it’s also easier to build a large group of followers on Twitter because most people have their accounts set to be public (unlike Facebook, for instance, where you have to accept someone's friend request to see their activity).
"Also, because of the hashtag function on Twitter, it's easier to search and comment on specific topics across networks; that is, people outside of your own group of followers, or accounts that you follow," Blevins said.
Featured image at top of Jeffrey Blevins. Photo/UC Ceative + Brand/Colleen Kelly.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.