Whither Twitter?

by Dan Krutka

Yesterday I stopped by a transgender story time event at my local bookstore. This should have been a low key event with stories and songs and, of course, some “wiggles” after everyone has been sitting for too long. It should have been a place where queer youth can feel affirmation and support. However, protestors sought to turn it into a spectacle for anti-transgender hate. Protesters included loud “Christians” with a megaphone of hate, quiet “Christians” holding signs of judgment, and far right social media “influencers” trafficking in “angertainment” (credit to 3rd Congressional District for Colorado Adam Frisch for the phrase). The same YouTouber (he calls himself a “talk show host”) who recently harassed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Capitol was there instigating confrontations, insulting transgender community members and supporters, and livestreaming it all. I couldn’t help but think that this is the type of hate speech Elon Musk wants to protect.

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, and subsequent firings and resignations, led many Twitter users to say farewell before the platform collapsed (it hasn’t as of this post). Even if the platform manages to stay up, Musk’s old tech bro “free speech” social media philosophy is causing a lot of people to leave before the floodgates of hate speech are reopened to Trump and others. Of course, free speech is important, but online free speech requires dedication to addressing how hate is amplified online and can result in mental and physical harm. Musk even recognized this (assuredly with concern of advertisers fleeing the platform), but his actions of firing those who oversee moderating content say otherwise and content moderation researcher Dr. Sarah Roberts called him out in the comments. 

Musk’s tweet with Sarah Roberts’ response.

Many Twitter users in my feed are sharing their other social media handles or migrating to Instagram or Mastodon. I feel for those who have built followings or cultivated community on Twitter. 

Twitter started as a platform to share real time information with users. As is always the case, the technology had both intended and unintended effects and developments. I used to participate in a lot of education chats, but eventually I determined that the platform distracted me from other pursuits and people. In recent years, I have paired down my Twitter consumption to 40 accounts on a list I created that is an equal mix of hobby (namely NBA Twitter) and professional interests (academics I know or respect). I long ago deleted Facebook and Instagram accounts due to Musk-like frustrations with Zuckerberg. Twitter is the only social media platform I check daily. After years, I had finally crafted it into something that fit well into my life. 

So I have been asking myself, what is the technoethical way to respond to Musk’s Twitter takeover? I have been struggling with answers. I am skeptical of the migration to new platforms such as Mastodon even if I hope they are successful. Network effect means that much of what makes Twitter worth using is the people there. It’s incredibly difficult to shift communities to a new platform. I’m also not convinced by those leaving for Instagram, a platform controlled by Zuckerberg with an array of its own ethical shortcomings. My sister suggested LinkedIn as a more ethical social media space. She’s probably right, but LinkedIn doesn’t do what Twitter does.

I’m not convinced there is a viable alternative to Twitter for me. For now, I have two very tentative answers about what to do. First, instead of reacting to Musk, I need to participate more proactively in the slow work building better social media environments through legislation and ethical practices. Tech Policy Press has produced great podcasts and articles that consistently feature people struggling for just futures. Just today, their weekly Sunday newsletter featured a conversation with the great Meredith Clark of Northeastern University about “What is lost if Twitter fails.” Dr. Clark discusses Black Twitter and the need to grapple with “how we construct collectively our idea of the digital public sphere in the 21st century.” Tech Policy Press also regularly features updates about proposed legislation and activism meant to confront the problems of social media. Leaving Twitter is fast and easy; worldbuilding is slow and hard. They can both be right, but the latter might prevent the need for the former in the future.

Second, if I do leave Twitter, I’ve determined that I am just going to give that time back to myself. I’m not joining another platform. I have never regretted quitting MySpace, Facebook, or Instagram. While there are things about social media I enjoy, I have been happier as I have reduced my presence on social media. In the end, I am just not sure humans are supposed to be this “connected” to each other. We need silence and solitude. We need presence with friends and family. Marie and I were discussing whether we should migrate to Mastodon and, inspired by Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance, I suggested, “or we just take a nap.” Then maybe we’ll be rested as we try to build a better future than the one Musk envisions.

Tentatively, I plan to recommit to worldbuilding as I consider whether to leave Twitter. I know this is not the answer for everyone and all situations as social media has supported powerful counter movements and cultural spaces, but quitting Twitter might be another opportunity to reassess what matters for me and the work I hope to contribute to.

I want to conclude by returning to the transgender storytime event from yesterday. There were a group of supporters outside of the bookstore, including women of a local roller derby team, who blocked the entry door with their bodies and the windows with huge rainbow flags so children and parents could be shielded from verbal and physical assaults of the transphobic haters. If Musk has revived a “move fast and break things” approach to social media that protects this type of speech then we should heed Ruha Benjamin’s counsel in Race After Tech to “move slower and protect people.” Whether online or offline, I’m going to try to be more like my local roller derby team.