X has added a new data point within its creator analytics element, which provides an overview of exactly how many of a user’s followers were active in the app in the previous 24-hour period.
The new display gives a full count of active followers, as well as a percentage figure based on a user’s total following, which provides more context as to how much engagement a user is seeing (or not), and why that might be.
X’s head of product Nikita Bier said the new data note will help to address questions about in-stream engagement: “People overestimate how many of their followers are active at a given time and get frustrated when their post doesn’t reach 100% of their followers. When we add 3-hour data, it will be obvious how much time it takes for a post to reach all active followers.”
In other words, users will now be able to get a better understanding of the possible reach of their posts in the app, based on active recipients, which will reinforce their engagement figures.
Though the move seems like a risk, given that X usage is seemingly in decline.
In its most recent EU DSA update, X reported that overall usage of the app in Europe was down 15% in the second half of 2025. X doesn’t report on global engagement, but if that trend holds across other markets, X usage may be seeing significant declines in overall user activity.
Which would mean that many users will be seeing very low activity figures within this new data element, which could act as a posting disincentive. But then again, X’s advanced analytics are only available to paying subscribers, and presumably, those paying for the app will have a more active following than non-paying users.
But if a user is paying for the app, and their active followers are regularly in the teen percentages or lower, it could give them reason to refocus their efforts elsewhere instead.
The active followers data is the latest in X’s various efforts to provide more performance data, and more context around content performance, with the platform also rolling out advanced analytics, expanded post-level insights and notes on the best performing content at any given time.
Ideally for X, these expanded data notes will inspire more users to post more often, though again, they could also work in the opposite way as well.
