left behind
Two weeks ago Elon Musk and his friends bought Twitter for a casual forty-four billion dollars.
The results, as you might imagine, aren’t great. In fact, they’re pretty terrible.
Musk, who impulsively bought Twitter, tried to back out of it, and then was forced (legally) to go through with the purchase, has already transformed the social media platform to the degree that it is now unrecognizable compared with what it was a month ago.
One notable change is a new subscription service called “Twitter Blue,” which allows users to pay a monthly premium for the coveted “blue checkmark” that verifies an account as belonging to a celebrity or other notable public figure. Of course, the app descended into chaos as users purchased the subscription for fake accounts that impersonated large brands, costing companies like Eli Lilly and PepsiCo billions.
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To make his acquisition more profitable, Musk has promoted additional subscription-type opportunities for content creators and consumers that align with his push for “free speech.” The ethical implications of this are vast. This is because the direct result of these actions includes a new “paid video feature” that brings paywalled explicit content to users’ feeds, bypassing other adult-content websites. Further, in the past two weeks, as Musk has done away with Twitter’s hate speech policy, the site has seen a 500% increase in uses of the “n-word.”
In response, many are jumping ship. While some are moving to apps like Mastodon, others are using this as an excuse to get rid of their social media presence entirely.
Kristin DuMez likened the experience of those who’ve remained on the app to the orchestra on the Titanic. “Helpless, doing what we do, holding together, watching the ship go down.”
I joined Twitter in the Fall of 2019 (although, my account has been active since 2016). Coming to Princeton, I saw how the platform was host to a wide range of public scholarly conversations. More importantly, it offered immediate access to authors, public figures, religious leaders, and more all at the click of a “DM” button. Over the years, I’ve made new friends and reached out to connections that would’ve been near impossible without the app.
Twitter also provided an opportunity to see readers engage with my work as I began to publish more frequently. Whether it was influential leaders reposting my articles to strangers DM’ing me with stories of how my work played a small role in their life, Twitter has been an incredible help in growing an audience of readers.
The question rolling around in my head over the past two weeks is if this new iteration of Twitter will offer the same benefits. Can Twitter still be a space of decency, conversation, and learning—or has the rapture come and I’ve been left behind?
To be honest, I don’t know. Only time will tell.
My philosophy of digital engagement has always been to avoid building my platform on someone else’s app. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, there is little reason to trust that your account won’t be deactivated or suspended one day. Accounts can be hacked and, as we’ve already seen with “Twitter Blue,” parody accounts can appear convincing.
This is why, rather than investing my time and energy in Twitter, I’ll be engaging with folks on Substack through subscriptions, threads, and comment sections. While Substack is far from perfect, there is no doubt that its emphasis is on allowing users to own their content. Substack makes money when users make good content and folks subscribe to read more of it. This, to me, is a strong foundation to build upon.
So, am I leaving Twitter? No. Not yet.
But if you’re looking to engage with my work, the best place to do so is here on Substack. If you want more social media engagement, then find me on Instagram and Facebook. If you really are committed to Twitter, you’ll find me there too—always open to opportunities for good, meaningful conversation.
Reading:
Daniel D. Lee, Doing Asian American Theology: A Contextual Framework for Faith and Practice (IVP Academic, 2022)
“Gen Z Evangelicals Vote More than Millennials or Gen X Did,” Kathryn Watson in Christianity Today
Watching:
Barbarian (HBO Max)
Against Political Certainty - Zealots at the Gate | Episode 2 (Matthew Kaemingk and Shadi Hamid)
Lizzy McAlpine (Tiny Desk Concert)
Harrowing analysis. Thank you, Amar and Yanan for these perspectives.
Exactly, bro. It’s so saddening because Twitter has been that place of community and networking for me, but suddenly co-opted by Musk’s new business strategy that I think will move it away from a place of community into a marketplace. We will see...