Article3rd December, 2022 / technology
Farewell, Twitter
I hadn’t intended to share my thoughts about Twitter’s swift demise because others have articulated the situation better than I can and because I assume you know exactly how I feel.
That said, I find it helpful to get things out of my head and move on, so I want to leave some rambling thoughts about this situation rather than contribute anything profound. There’s nothing worth sharing here. If you’re looking for context and smarter thoughts, I’d recommend these posts from Tim, Cennydd, Bastian, Jeremy and Jon[1].
I’ve long dismissed Musk and his cultists, and I’m sad about what’s happening to Twitter for many reasons. And this unnecessary chaos and destruction comes when I feel pretty low about the state of many things and am also exhausted from a difficult client job.
I’d slowed my tweeting over the last few years — increasingly so in recent months — and eventually stopped a couple of weeks ago. I deleted the Twitter app and removed all bookmarks and shortcuts. I no longer go there for trends or live reactions (a real test when, for example, I want to check the vibe around this bonkers World Cup, itself a problematic yet addictive drug). No, I’m out. Please find me on Mastodon and any of these places or this site.
I would often request my tweet archive because it’s a valuable component of my personal history. Still, I won’t delete my account only for someone to jump on the username and invite whatever issues this might present, nor do I plan to delete my public tweets. I may occasionally exploit Twitter’s reach with a promo tweet, like each time I release music or cast my net wide in the search for new work. But otherwise, I’ll be absent.
I’m aware that smart friends still tweet passing thoughts without a care, and I can’t understand why. Some seem happy to repost damning articles about the situation and then carry on tweeting. I deleted my Facebook account a few years ago (yes, I’m still on Instagram; are you perfect?), but appreciate such a stance is not so easy for everyone. My personal view is that unless you have a business, product or skill to promote, stop giving idiot billionaires your thoughts and energy. Play the game when you need to, but have some integrity.
So, yeah. Thanks, Elon. I always thought you were a dick but never really looked at you directly. And now that I’ve had reason to, I realise you really are a dick, and a baby, and a fucking moron. You represent the worst of us, and why anyone should look up to you is entirely beyond my comprehension. I look forward to the day you fuck off to Mars and that all ends terribly.
I feel a little better now.
Footnotes
- I realise now that I collected articles by all white dudes, and I’ll do better next time. To be honest, I’m a little frustrated that my Mastodon instance isn’t at all diverse and am thinking about how to escape that. ↩︎