Something that fascinates me about the ongoing dumpster fire that is the unmitigated death spiral of Twitter is the users who still actively use it. I count friends among this group, so I’m not just firing shots in the dark at some abstract group.
In one breath, we see The Owner’s actions decried as absurd, destructive, hypocritical (they are). In the next? Posting as though its just Business as Usual.
Regardless of Ownership, Twitter Users Don’t Get a Say
What so many people inexplicably fail to understand is that Twitter is not, and never has been, a democracy. Despite whatever bullshit The Owner originally peddled about being a free speech absolutist, there’s overwhelming evidence that this is categorically bullshit. Being either in denial that the platform is largely fucked, or riding it out through the death rattles, just rewards the behavior you condemn.
You are the Product
Fundamentally, social platforms benefit from the [[FREE]] content that [[you]] are creating on them; Twitter is no exception. Therefore, if you disagree with the direction the platform is taking stop creating content there. Consider deactivating your account. If you want to wait things out and see if cooler heads (read: a CEO that isn’t absolutely batshit) prevail, I get it – don’t deactivate, but maybe chill with the posts. If you’re a professional content creator, chances are that you weren’t making much money from Twitter as a social channel anyway – but reallocate to other platforms.
If you don’t like a product – let’s say a foundation or eyeshadow – would you keep using it?
I understand that this is a comparison of apples and oranges – historically, Twitter has been a place where, despite the vitriol that often characterizes it, people and communities have connected. But the writing is on the wall (timeline?) – go find or build a new place.
The Bottom Line
As for me, I have disabled social reposting of this blog’s contents to Twitter and Facebook (who I’ve long disliked, but just left the auto-post thing on out of laziness). I’ve also removed the Twitter block from the sidebar and social sharing buttons from posts – you’re welcome to share as you wish, but I don’t want the, “EZ buttons,” any more. So, given that, if you’re still a reader and wish to be notified of new content, please sign up for emails if you haven’t already.