Mainz 05 and X (and Bluesky)

The purpose of our social media channels:

Mainz 05 has many different platforms for communication. Within our 05ers family, we send messages directly via email, but we also like to keep in touch with the fans, using social media to deliver platform-specific content, as well as to entertain. Of course, we also want to be able to reach all the football fans out there in the hope of helping as many people fall in love with this club as possible. The general aim for our social media channels is that Mainz 05 can be there, not only where our fans are, but where all football fans come together. 

What X means to us: 

X is our most important avenue for communication, both in terms of keeping our followers up to date on Mainz 05 news, but also as a means of entertaining. We have been on Twitter since 2009 and built up a tight-knit community of 210,000 followers since then. No other platform enables us to have the same speed of communication with our community, as well as with the wider group of interested football fans. We are proud of the diverse community we have on the platform, one that is open to all. X is the only platform on which we also possess an international reach, with English, Japanese and Korean channels. However, we have no direct commercial relationship with X, do not have a paid account and do not invest in the platform. 

How we view X:

18 years after its founding, X still offers that same thing: to be able to connect to the wider world. As is the case for similar platforms, as a user we are subject to the invisible algorithms put in place by the provider, which can alter the perception of some communication. For some time, users of X have noticed an increase in content involving hate speech, discrimination towards minorities and conspiracy theories. This also applies in varying degrees to other social media platforms, but X in particular has seen this new trend develop, especially since the summer of 2023. Mainz 05 has also experienced this in the reactions to some of our posts. However, most of the time, our communication continues to be primarily between us and our fans. 

Stay or go? 

On the one hand, we do not want to be any part of a platform on which fake news and hate speech can be spread so easily. However, on the other hand, we do not want to disappear and let the community that we have formed through our content and entertainment simply dissipate. After 15 years on X, we feel we have a commitment to our community on the platform, so we have decided to remain on X. 

An alternative:

We understand every fan who wishes to be able to communicate with a Mainz 05 channel that possesses the same functions as if it were on X, while preferring to keep off this platform. As a result, we have decided that, in the future, we will set up a Mainz 05 channel on Bluesky, a platform that possesses the same functionality of Twitter/X and has seen a large uptake in users in the light of the recent discussions regarding X. We will also begin to become more active on our pre-existing Threads channel. On our X channel, we will seek to be more vocal in communicating our values and stances on matters. This is far from a definitive decision, rather one that will remain under constant review.