Original article (in Albanian) was published on 14/01/2026; Author: Barbara Halla
On Albanian social media, there is a claim that X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has become “the number one news source in every EU country.” This narrative has been widely shared on social networks in Albania and beyond, following a series of posts by the platform’s owner, Elon Musk.
On December 7, 2025, Elon Musk published on his platform, stating that “X is experiencing record downloads in many European countries.” He also claimed that X has become the most-read news platform across the European Union. These statements were made public by Musk following a fine imposed on his company by the European Commission for various breaches of digital information laws in EU countries.
Musk’s statements are not supported by verifiable statistical data. The claim that X is Europe’s number one news source was shared by the Tesla Owners Silicon account, but it does not point to any report or concrete data explaining the origin of these numbers.
According to Euronews, which refuted Musk’s claims, in some EU countries, X temporarily ranked at the top of the “News” category in app stores, particularly in the App Store. This limited ranking, applying to only one operating platform, does not reflect the platform’s actual use as a primary source of information.
Analyzing overall download rankings, X is not the most used app in most major EU countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland. In many cases, it does not even make the top ten.
Data from third-party sources and Google Play indicate that there has been no sudden or “record” surge in X downloads across Europe. Instead, other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube dominate the charts.
Long-term studies further disprove this claim. The 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows that the European audience, while increasingly active on social media, still relies more on traditional media than on social platforms like X. Among social networks used for news, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are clearly the preferred choices.
The assertion that all 27 EU countries “depend on X more than any other media” is not backed by any credible evidence. It originates from a selective interpretation of app rankings and the tense political context between Elon Musk and European institutions, rather than the actual patterns of news consumption in Europe.
