A social housing charity will close its social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that content on the platform is “often prejudicial, racist and deeply unpleasant”.
Manningham Housing Association, which provides social housing for diverse communities in West Yorkshire, said it planned to withdraw from X after a review of its internal and external communications strategy.
A spokesperson for MHA said it “cannot be ignored that the general content on the platform is often prejudicial, racist and deeply unpleasant”.
They said: “This does not fit with the values of MHA, which made the decision to close our account the logical and responsible conclusion.”
The social housing provider’s X account, which at the time of publication was still active, has more than 580 followers. But the spokesperson for MHA said: “Interactions with our customer base on X were minimal.”
They added: “We provide a myriad of ways for our customers to contact us across a range of digital platforms.”
The association has recently extended its online offer with the launch of a website that includes a chatbot facility, the spokesperson said.
MHA is a community benefit society that operates as a charity, although it is exempt from registration with the Charity Commission. The nearly 40-year-old organisation manages more than 1,400 homes for more than 6,000 residents in Bradford and Keighley.
MHA’s withdrawal from X comes after several other organisations made the same decision in recent years, including the charity LGBT Youth Scotland and the transgender youth charity Mermaids.
LGBTYS left the platform last year, after noticing an increase in “extreme views” expressed on X since it was purchased by the billionaire Elon Musk in 2022. The charity said it was no longer a safe space due to a number of targeted attacks towards members of the LGBT+ community.
Third Sector recently published an analysis investigating how charity staff can protect against social media burnout and one which looked at how LGBT+ charity leaders can navigate hostile environments both online and offline.