Many members of the mainstream media seem content with burning down Twitter, yet they can’t quit using the platforms themselves.
When a Brazilian judge ruled that Twitter must be blocked in the country, numerous voices in the mainstream media cheered on the decision. Many called it a great moment where accountability is finally prevailing. In fact, some voices took things a step further and called for Elon Musk to be arrested because someone on his platform said something they don’t like. There’s little doubt that some would even go so far as to argue that Twitter should be shut down for being a threat to society and democracy.
For some, it’s infuriating that Twitter continues to remain popular to this day. Interactivity is still relatively high and Musk continues to enjoy some financial value on the platform even if it is diminished. While spam bots do explain why some of that interactivity is retained, it doesn’t, by any means, explain all of it.
Last year, when Elon Musk started burning the platform to the ground, he did a number of things that broke the platform. One of those things was to drop API access that allowed several apps and plugins to automate certain actions such as the sharing of news links. In the process, it broke our ability to share news links on the platform. We saw what was happening and had a choice: either find another solution to share news articles or drop the idea of regularly sharing news content on the platform. Ultimately, we chose the latter. We didn’t like what was going on with Twitter even back then and took action to basically move to Mastodon. At this point, we would be happy to have a presence on Bluesky as well, but we are still looking for a solution to automate sharing of links to make having a presence on the platform easier. We’ve asked people several times if anyone knew how to do that, but got nothing.
This simple action of actively choosing to not share news links on a regular basis on Twitter, of course, serves multiple purposes. The chief purpose is to show that we disagree with what Musk has done and removing interactivity from his platform. The second purpose is to make our contributions in building a better social media platform that rivals Twitter. Obviously, we don’t have the resources to set up a Mastodon instance or help program to make the ActivityPub protocol better, but where we can contribute is through posting content on the platform to make the platform more interesting for users, making the network as a whole that much better and attractive to use. It’s, ultimately, simple logic.
Yet, it’s that simple logic that members of the mainstream media have a hard time following. Take, for instance, Carole Cadwalladr. Recently, she wrote a piece in The Guardian cheering on Pavel Durov’s arrest and the blocking of Twitter. Here’s an excerpt:
It was a breaking news alert to lift the spirits and make the heart sing. A tech billionaire arrested as he stepped off his private jet and detained by the French authorities. Happy days!
Because while the UK police have been charging individuals who incited violence online during this summer’s riots, the man who helped to fuel its flames – Elon Musk – has simply tweeted his way through it.
It turned out – because you can’t have it all – that the man arrested and subsequently charged in France this week was not Elon. It was his bro-in-arms, Pavel Durov, an Elon-alike who founded the encrypted messaging app Telegram, though for the casual observer it can be hard to tell where Durov ends and Musk begins.
Obviously, not a fan of Twitter. There’s just one problem: Cadwalladr is also a heavy user of Twitter. Not only does she regularly post on Twitter still, but she even went through the trouble of purchasing a blue tick mark as well. In other words, not only is she happily using the platform she despises so much, but is actively sending money to Elon Musk – the very person she was musing about how great it would be that he would get arrested as well.
Then there is Robert Reich, the Democrat that actively called for the arrest of Elon Musk. He is quite the active Twitter user as well.
You really could go on, here. There’s the CBC, CTV, and CNN all happily supporting Musk’s platform and tweeting away. Now, credit where credit is due. We looked up the Financial Times and found that their account was closed down. So, not everyone is screaming about how terrible Twitter is, yet practically lining up to be the next person to use it, but there is certainly no shortage of those who do.
All of this is, of course, presents a major problem. Here’s all of these voices still using the platform. In doing so, they are actually (perhaps inadvertently in some cases) approving of what Musk has done with Twitter. In a few cases, they are even throwing money at Musk in the process. Thanks to this, not only are they supporting the very network they so viscerally despise, but also supporting Musk, a man that many consider a threat to modern society.
The question is, why are so many members of the mainstream media supporting Musk in the first place? Some want Musk jailed. Others consider Musk a threat to democracy. Many consider themselves to be in a battle for democracy with themselves being on the side of democracy. If you are of the mind set, you would think that it would be a great idea to stop helping one of the very foes you despise so much.
So, what do I propose they do? Simple. Stop using Twitter. You dislike everything that is going on with Musk and Twitter, then stop using it. Yes, on an individual basis, one journalist isn’t going to make or break Twitter. However, the more journalists stop using Twitter, the less power Musk ultimately has on society. Use alternatives instead. Set up shop on Mastodon, sign up for Bluesky. Heck, simply move your regular activities to Facebook, Instagram, or Threads. No matter what, get off of Twitter.
The reason why this suggestion is so important is because if people who produce content (however shoddy it may be) stop sharing them on Twitter, the interactivity will drop. Drops in interactivity will take power away from Musk. With less content being shared, there are fewer reasons for people to stick around and fuel Elon Musk. If there’s less interesting content on Twitter for a host of users, then that gives people reason to stop using the platform as well. You want to hold Musk accountable for his actions, that is how you can personally hold him accountable. Calling for the arrest of Musk and telling people to follow you on Twitter for more great posts is doing the exact opposite of what you are setting out to do.
By regularly tweeting out your news articles on the platform, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution. I don’t, however, expect journalists to follow through with something so braindead obvious, however. If anything, I expect them to continue to use Twitter, suckling on Musk’s teet because they will feel lesser of a person without all that Musk offers. How else are they going to get those likes on Twitter if they aren’t posting? Heck, if they aren’t actively posting every couple of hours, that’s, like, the worst thing in the world for them. Alternatives are scary and they don’t like change! Must! Keep! Tweeting!
Ultimately, many members of the mainstream media are always screaming about how Musk has way too much power. Yet, for a number of them, giving Musk power on an hourly basis is simply a must do activity. There is a term for that kind of thing: blatant hypocrisy.
