Two things that are back on Twitter
After a months-long effort, Elon Musk finally took over ownership and control of the Twitter social networking platform last week. Now, many Democratic Twitter users are concerned about what Musk will do with the influential platform. That is because Musk is not only the world’s richest person, he has also become a full-blown MAGA Republican. In May, Musk announced that he was switching from voting Democratic to Republican, because, according to him, Democrats “have become the party of division & hate.” He also refers to Democratic and progressive values as “the woke mind virus.”
True to his conservative political colors, Musk has already taken some initial steps to turn Twitter into more of a right wing hate fest, including firing the executive in charge of Twitter’s content moderation policy, and reportedly planning to allow Donald Trump and Kanye (Ye) West back on the platform to spew their divisive lies. Not surprisingly, on the first day that Musk took over, there was a reported flood of racist tweets, including Nazi memes and a massive increase in use of the N-word, on the platform. Thus, the obvious question becomes: what should Democratic and other good Twitter users do in response?
Possible Democratic actions in the face of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover appear to fall into the following categories:
Cut and Run — plenty of Twitter users have left, or stated they will be leaving, in recent days. Some of them include former Vermont Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, as well as entertainment industry figures such as Ken Olin and Toni Braxton. Here’s what Dean wrote on October 28:
https://twitter.com/GovHowardDean/status/1586111039284076544
Many other Twitter users are suddenly reporting a loss of followers, which may mean that folks who are not Elon Musk fans are pulling out, whether they announce it with fanfare or not (or perhaps they were kicked off).
As far as where, if anywhere, these people are going instead, there are some newer social media platforms that frequently get mentioned, including Tribel and Counter Social. (Disclosure: we’re still on Twitter, but have created accounts at both Tribel and Counter, under the name Messaging Matters, as placeholders in case they are needed later). Ironically, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, has also started a new social media platform called Bluesky, which reports tens of thousands of new sign-ups in recent days while it is still in beta testing. It will be some time before the extent of this Twitter exodus, and its possible effects on Twitter and its new competitors, become clear.
Stay and Fight — Other high-profile Democrats on Twitter have said they are not going anywhere. The list of these folks includes, once again, politically active Democrats from the entertainment industry, such as George Takei and Mark Hamill. Their attitude is that, if Twitter becomes filled with more hateful speech from more right wingers, then those on the left should counter such bad speech with more and better speech of their own. Here’s a representative take espousing this position:
I am staying on Twitter for the same reason Ukraine didn't surrender to Russia.
— Blue dot is getting warmer (@thankyou_nurses) November 1, 2022
Indeed, it is a fair question to ask whether one side should just give up when the other side is in control. After all, Democrats did not do that when Republicans won the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, the U.S. Senate in 2014, or the White House in 2016. In all three cases, Democrats stayed in the game, fought hard, and subsequently won back control of these branches of government. Similarly, Democrats could potentially wield plenty of influence via Twitter if they stick around.
Wait and See — Other folks feel that it is too early to know whether Twitter will change dramatically under Elon Musk’s ownership. They are adopting a “wait and see” approach, staying on Twitter for now, but remaining vigilant for signs of trouble. Here’s director and outspoken Democrat Rob Reiner, for example:
Just hours after taking control of this platform, its owner spread crackpot conspiracy theories about the attempted murder of Speaker Pelosi. Now is not the time to leave. Now is the time to fight for our Democracy. Vote blue. Hold the Congress. Then explore options.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) October 31, 2022
Such a posture could, however, include a reduction in Twitter activity and time spent on the platform while the situation shakes out. As mentioned above, Messaging Matters is still on Twitter, @messagingmatt, for now, but we’re also reducing our activity there. This might turn out to be the best choice for one’s mental health.
Photo by John S. Quarterman, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/9DCdq0
