Chaotic times of the bird.

Despite its much smaller audience (that has also failed to grow significantly), Twitter has always held a special place in important circles - from science and sports to politics and academia. It's probably even more amplified in Pakistan, where the masses have generally opted for Facebook traditionally and, more recently, Tiktok and Bigo etc.

According to Datareportal, Twitter had just 3.4 million users in Pakistan - making up less than one per cent of the social media platform's global audience. In contrast, there are reported to be over 49m Pakistanis on Facebook.

The bird app has been downloaded 13.9m times between Jan 1, 2017, and Nov 16, 2022, as per estimates from Appfigures. This pales in comparison to Facebook getting almost 111m installs and TikTok 92m (the lite versions included for both). The limited usage obviously makes Twitter an afterthought for advertisers in Pakistan.

Based on the daily downloads, Twitter hit its peak in Pakistan in early April when the National Assembly saw a vote of no confidence and subsequent removal of Imran Khan

A report from Profit also talks about how brands in the country generally tend to ignore Twitter and prefer to reach the mass market through the more popular platforms. However, when it comes to political engagement, there is perhaps no better place. Arguably not even Indians and Pakistanis fighting each other in Facebook comments.

In fact, this trend has only intensified of late with the rise in political tensions across the country. Based on the daily downloads, Twitter hit its peak in Pakistan in early April - the same time when the National Assembly saw a vote of no confidence and subsequent removal of former prime minister Imran Khan. Around that time, PTI supporters were actively running hashtag campaigns that rose to the top charts quickly.

Similarly, Twitter's previous daily peak was in early August 2021 - right when the Taliban forces took over Afghanistan and replaced the government. This was a period of great uncertainty for Pakistanis, and many turned to the social media app for news consumption. This is where the platform offers the greatest utility, especially to those disenchanted by the traditional media.

It gives the people access to connect and respond to some of the most powerful names in the country, and the world, and be on equal footing. Well, at least sometimes.

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