The announcements came fast over the weekend that the World’s Most Embarrassing African (A White Guy) would allow an insurrectionist lawbreaker back on his new toy social media platform. Then, news came that the insurrectionist lawbreaker wouldn’t come back to Twitter, because there are too many problems with the site — again, under leadership the World’s Most Embarrassing African (A White Guy).
(Twitter observers suspect it’s because the insurrectionist lawbreaker fears getting his head handed to him, as that, in fact, is one of the things the platform does best.)
I’m still on Twitter, though I sometimes ask myself why. My answers generally settle on or near 1) I teach social media and need to know what’s going on and 2) I’m still a journalist who wants to see news as it bubbles up from the ooze, as it often does on Twitter and 3) I like to argue. A lot.
But I’ve walked away from other social media platforms, and hundreds of thousands of others have already done so with Twitter, both as employees and as users. Things are so bad news outlets are sharing lists of Twitter alternatives, There are also stories on the right way to deactivate your account, RIP Twitter and all that.
Have you left social media outlets? If so, what’s your life like without them? Or have you stayed? Found an alternative? I’m all ears.
I deactivated my account when it became clear just how intense a dumpster fire the emerald baby had created. I debated about it initially for some of the reasons you include. But the idea of swimming in his cesspool was so nauseating (just reading it demanded a second shower of the day) - and I felt helping to make it clear to advertisers that it was being evacuated faster than the Titanic was more compelling.
Friends are trying Mastodon. Apparently it brings a whole new level to "arcane". I can use their help to establish a presence there. However, Twitter might well be for sale again soon - and to be better owner. I'll wait.....
I'm following Amy Suskind's advice. Closing up Twitter for privacy and meetng up with folks on FB for the time being ( Amy Suskind). Heather Cox Richardson, and Joyce Vance on emaiI and trusted news agencies notifications are activated. Signing up for specific folks on Substack (you). I spend much less time as I'm not following random threads on Twitter. I kinda miss it bbut not that much!
I'm staying on Twitter, at least so far, only to keep tabs on the lies and misinformation being shared there. It's important to know what the enemy is up to. However, I'm working hard on not getting sucked into responding to the likes of Boebert and Cruz!
I started spending more time on Twitter a few months ago, in advance of the elections. Some people use the term "breaking news" to preface their tweets a little too loosely, but in general it really is a good place to get the latest news the soonest. (Not always a good thing, as the latest news is often another mass murder.) And I can read the reactions to the news from people whose opinion I have come to respect. Most of them also have a daily or weekly newsletter, but those don't have the same immediacy of Twitter. Maybe that's a good thing -- maybe we should take a few hours or a day before blasting out an opinion or a news item. Very often things change as more facts are brought to light.
Facebook lets me keep in touch with family and friends, and I intend to stay there. I lived without Twitter before, and I can do it again. I made a Mastodon account, but much remains to be seen how that's going to work out. Right now there are no fees or ads, but people need money to maintain servers, so that can't last forever. I still have digital subscriptions to NYT and WaPo, but satirical Twitter accounts like New York Time Pitchbot have opened my eyes to the pro-corporate, pro-sensationalism, pro-misogyny, pro-white supremacy agendas that exist even at "the papers of record."
I’m still on Twitter but did sign up for mastodon over the weekend in case Twitter stops working. I’m still figuring it out but can see I’d be happy to have it should Twitter implode. I made a quick list of the people I most enjoy following on Twitter so I can be sure to see if their on mastodon too should Twitter come to an end.
I still have Twitter, Instagram, and FB accounts, but rarely go on Twitter, sometimes go on Instagram, and more often go on FB. Twitter has never appealed to me. It lures nastiness, especially with the short form. I prefer interacting with people I know to stay connected than arguing with random strangers. (Though I've tried that in the past and found it mostly fruitless.) I go on Instagram to catch up on photos of 2 or 3 relatives/pets, but not often. I prefer FB. It allows me to stay connected to a several people and I participate in several informative and useful FB groups. Some are health related. Some are community related. One I'd recommend if you have it in your community is "Buy Nothing". It's helpful and the acts of giving/receiving have a positive effect on the community. News-wise, social media is not usually my source. I get emails from my various newspaper subscriptions if something important happens and/or I hear it on TV.
I canceled my Twitter account. I hardly used it and prefer to make more lengthy comments using FB. I still read the Courant online even though there is little local news which was the lifeblood of print media back when Moby Dick was a sardine.
I’m too dag gone dumb to understand how social media works. Oh, I tried. I was interested in trying to use it to promote my Trump book. Nada. As for Twitter, don’t you have to follow someone important to make the experience viable. My problem is that I’m not a follower. Seriously. When I posted a few times after posting my substack story, no one read it every time I posted. No one read anything. Christ sake, I was preparing to delete or deactivate when Howard Hughs of today made me mad and I signed off. But now I’m thinking, did I do it right?
Susan, you teach social media? In2019, I began making the phone rounds of community colleges then UConn about social media courses. Not much I found except UConn had one in Stamford. So I sat in a few times in Stamford. It was at drive time which meant getting there was a hassle. And the material didn’t seem to be going in the direction I need it to go in. So, where do you teach it and would it have any relevance to give me tools to further promotion of my Trump book. A book about cats is soon to follow.
So I happened to be in Washington a few weeks ago and I set my table up in front of the White House to “donate” my book but the sign said donate because you can’t sell for profit. Wouldn’t you know it, I sold several of my books. I won’t tell you what I was prepared to do while Trump was in office. Oh, sure I will. I had planned to have Code Pink video me tossing one of my books over the White House fence where I would be immediately arrested. Code Pink was to put it up on social media. My planned attorney would argue my release from jail and I would get my long awaited interview with Rachel Madow and my bold would have been a runaway best seller. Then Covid stepped in and ruined everything.
I deactivated my account when it became clear just how intense a dumpster fire the emerald baby had created. I debated about it initially for some of the reasons you include. But the idea of swimming in his cesspool was so nauseating (just reading it demanded a second shower of the day) - and I felt helping to make it clear to advertisers that it was being evacuated faster than the Titanic was more compelling.
Friends are trying Mastodon. Apparently it brings a whole new level to "arcane". I can use their help to establish a presence there. However, Twitter might well be for sale again soon - and to be better owner. I'll wait.....
I'm following Amy Suskind's advice. Closing up Twitter for privacy and meetng up with folks on FB for the time being ( Amy Suskind). Heather Cox Richardson, and Joyce Vance on emaiI and trusted news agencies notifications are activated. Signing up for specific folks on Substack (you). I spend much less time as I'm not following random threads on Twitter. I kinda miss it bbut not that much!
I too am twitterless and am a better man because of it.
I get news the old fashioned way. Newspaper, radio and television.
So far, I haven’t missed the things I wish I had of.
I'm staying on Twitter, at least so far, only to keep tabs on the lies and misinformation being shared there. It's important to know what the enemy is up to. However, I'm working hard on not getting sucked into responding to the likes of Boebert and Cruz!
I started spending more time on Twitter a few months ago, in advance of the elections. Some people use the term "breaking news" to preface their tweets a little too loosely, but in general it really is a good place to get the latest news the soonest. (Not always a good thing, as the latest news is often another mass murder.) And I can read the reactions to the news from people whose opinion I have come to respect. Most of them also have a daily or weekly newsletter, but those don't have the same immediacy of Twitter. Maybe that's a good thing -- maybe we should take a few hours or a day before blasting out an opinion or a news item. Very often things change as more facts are brought to light.
Facebook lets me keep in touch with family and friends, and I intend to stay there. I lived without Twitter before, and I can do it again. I made a Mastodon account, but much remains to be seen how that's going to work out. Right now there are no fees or ads, but people need money to maintain servers, so that can't last forever. I still have digital subscriptions to NYT and WaPo, but satirical Twitter accounts like New York Time Pitchbot have opened my eyes to the pro-corporate, pro-sensationalism, pro-misogyny, pro-white supremacy agendas that exist even at "the papers of record."
I’m still on Twitter but did sign up for mastodon over the weekend in case Twitter stops working. I’m still figuring it out but can see I’d be happy to have it should Twitter implode. I made a quick list of the people I most enjoy following on Twitter so I can be sure to see if their on mastodon too should Twitter come to an end.
I still have Twitter, Instagram, and FB accounts, but rarely go on Twitter, sometimes go on Instagram, and more often go on FB. Twitter has never appealed to me. It lures nastiness, especially with the short form. I prefer interacting with people I know to stay connected than arguing with random strangers. (Though I've tried that in the past and found it mostly fruitless.) I go on Instagram to catch up on photos of 2 or 3 relatives/pets, but not often. I prefer FB. It allows me to stay connected to a several people and I participate in several informative and useful FB groups. Some are health related. Some are community related. One I'd recommend if you have it in your community is "Buy Nothing". It's helpful and the acts of giving/receiving have a positive effect on the community. News-wise, social media is not usually my source. I get emails from my various newspaper subscriptions if something important happens and/or I hear it on TV.
Never done Twitter and don’t really do instagram. But can’t give up fb as it connects me with best friends and relatives from all over the world.
About a year ago, I deactivated my Twitter account. It was before the pandemic hit that I did the same re: Facebook. My life is calmer. I like that.
I canceled my Twitter account. I hardly used it and prefer to make more lengthy comments using FB. I still read the Courant online even though there is little local news which was the lifeblood of print media back when Moby Dick was a sardine.
Thanks for sharing that right way to deactivate link!
I’m too dag gone dumb to understand how social media works. Oh, I tried. I was interested in trying to use it to promote my Trump book. Nada. As for Twitter, don’t you have to follow someone important to make the experience viable. My problem is that I’m not a follower. Seriously. When I posted a few times after posting my substack story, no one read it every time I posted. No one read anything. Christ sake, I was preparing to delete or deactivate when Howard Hughs of today made me mad and I signed off. But now I’m thinking, did I do it right?
Susan, you teach social media? In2019, I began making the phone rounds of community colleges then UConn about social media courses. Not much I found except UConn had one in Stamford. So I sat in a few times in Stamford. It was at drive time which meant getting there was a hassle. And the material didn’t seem to be going in the direction I need it to go in. So, where do you teach it and would it have any relevance to give me tools to further promotion of my Trump book. A book about cats is soon to follow.
So I happened to be in Washington a few weeks ago and I set my table up in front of the White House to “donate” my book but the sign said donate because you can’t sell for profit. Wouldn’t you know it, I sold several of my books. I won’t tell you what I was prepared to do while Trump was in office. Oh, sure I will. I had planned to have Code Pink video me tossing one of my books over the White House fence where I would be immediately arrested. Code Pink was to put it up on social media. My planned attorney would argue my release from jail and I would get my long awaited interview with Rachel Madow and my bold would have been a runaway best seller. Then Covid stepped in and ruined everything.