Is Twitter dying?" the social media platform's largest individual stakeholder, Elon Musk, asked on Saturday.
He was calling out users, such as Justin Bieber, who are among the most-followed accounts and yet rarely post.
“Most of these 'top' accounts tweet rarely and post very little content,” the Tesla chief executive wrote, captioning a list of the 10 profiles with the most followers — a list on which he sits at number eight, with 81 million followers.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the 10 most-followed people on Twitter.
Is Musk right? Do these prolifically followed celebrities hardly ever share content?
Here's how the top 10 most-followed use the platform...
1. Barack Obama
Followers: 131.5 million
Tweets: 16,400
While the former US president joined Twitter in March 2007, he didn't start tweeting until 2011, and of course, has used other official presidential accounts in between.
He's fairly active on Twitter these days, with 16 tweets each in April and March, 23 in February and 29 in January.
He uses Instagram quite frequently, too, with a slight variation in content, but overall, Obama is on Twitter more often.
2. Justin Bieber
Followers: 114.3 million
Tweets: 31,400
Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who joined Twitter in March 2009, has only tweeted once in 2022 — about Canadian hockey (incidentally around the time he tested positive for Covid-19) — but he was fairly active between October and December last year, then quiet between August and October.
While he seemingly takes breaks from Twitter every so often, he remains prolific on Instagram, with several posts per day (31 in April so far).
3. Katy Perry
Followers: 108.8 million
Tweets: 11,600
Katy Perry remains active on Twitter, which she joined in February 2009, with 10 posts in April so far about her involvement in American Idol (she's a judge), Katy Perry Collections and the odd one in support of Ukraine.
She tweeted almost 40 times in March, about 11 in February and 28 in January.
It's more or less the same content on Instagram.
4. Rihanna
Followers: 106 million
Tweets: 10,600
Rihanna joined Twitter in October 2009, but has been quiet on the platform for the past 10 days. She'd put out 18 tweets this year at the time of writing, and seems to be far more active on Instagram, where she's posted about 11 times in April so far on her main feed.
On Twitter, she posted only three times in March and nine each in February and January, mostly about Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty, climate justice and her pregnancy wardrobe.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
Followers: 98.8 million
Tweets: 3,778
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been known to delete tweets in the past, and so his tweet count may not be particularly reflective of how active he is on the platform.
He's not a prolific tweeter, but posts a few times a month at least, with two in April, eight in March, six in February and nine times in January, when he kept us up to date on his trip to Dubai and Expo 2020.
He's far more active on Instagram, however, with almost daily posts.
His content mostly spans family, football and fitness.
6. Taylor Swift
Followers: 90.3 million
Tweets: 716
Taylor Swift, who joined Twitter in December 2008, famously deleted all of her social media posts a few years ago, and so now her first tweet that's visible on her account is from August 2017, when she posted teasers of her album Reputation.
Despite her love-hate relationship with the platforms, she is active, but barely. She's only shared two tweets this year, in response to Blur's Damon Albarn saying she didn't write her own songs, although she did post a fair bit in November.
Between August and October she took another break, and yet was very active in 2019 and 2020, so it's safe to say Swift is not a reliable source of social media content.
Her usage of Instagram is about the same, although it's different content. This year, she posted about the movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing and her cat's birthday on the main feed, for example.
7. Lady Gaga
Followers: 84.5 million
Tweets: 9,742
Lady Gaga joined Twitter in March 2008 and still uses it, but don't expect regular updates.
She's posted twice in April so far, both times about the Grammys, then 10 updates in March, four in February and 11 in January.
Gaga has mostly been posting about awards season, House of Gucci and magazine covers she's appeared on. She also retweets collaborator Tony Bennett.
She uses Instagram a little more frequently, again mostly to post looks from the red carpets.
8. Elon Musk
Followers: 81.1 million
Tweets: 17,300
Most of us already know Musk is among the most prolific Twitter users. He's posted 13 times within the past 24 hours alone (at the time of writing) and that's excluding retweets.
It's clearly his platform of preference.
Musk made his Instagram account private in March, saying you need to follow @elonmusksnft to be accepted as a follower on his main account.
9. Narendra Modi
Followers: 77.7 million
Tweets: 32,400
India's Prime Minister is also a pretty prolific poster, as most politicians are. He's posted six times in the past 24 hours (again, at the time of writing) and you can generally expect several updates from him per day.
He's on Instagram far less, with only one post in April so far, five in March and seven in February.
10. Ellen DeGeneres
Followers: 77.5 million
Tweets: 23,700
The comedian's account, @TheEllenShow, is very active, with several posts per day and 27 so far in April.
It's mostly clips from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but also causes that are dear to DeGeneres's heart, such as, in recent weeks, LGBTQ+ rights and support for Ukraine.
With the daytime talk show set to end on Thursday, May 26, we can expect different content from the star going forward (and perhaps a change in handle). With no clips to share, she may indeed stop posting as much, too.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
TALE OF THE TAPE
Floyd Mayweather
- Height
- Weight
- Reach
- Record
Conor McGregor
- Height
- Weight
- Reach
- Record
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
