Rethinking Twitter's Future in my Social Media Tool Box

I'm showing my age a bit here, but some of you may remember the Edwin Starr "War" lyrics from the Vietnam Era. 

Taking a bit of liberty with that song I give you....

Twitter, What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, uhh,
Twitter, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, uhh
Twitter, huh, yeah
What is it good for? 
Absolutely nothing 
Say it again, y'all
Twitter, huh (good God)
What is good for? 
Absolutely nothing, listen to me, oh


I will be honest, I've had a lot of misgivings over the years when it comes to twitter.  Is it a vehicle that can be used for good?  Very likely.  Has it been of much good lately?  As a writer, I can say it has allowed me to keep up with other poets and writers, follow events, new publications, etc.  And I have utilized it for those very purposes. 

​I have used it to some degree to follow news. But this is not the most beneficial of its uses. Quite frankly many. consumers of news are quite frankly too lazy to do their homework and fall for stories that have no reputable sourcing whatsoever.

​More precisely, Twitter has become a vehicle for not just haphazard attempts at journalism, but the exact opposite. Very precise and contrived reporting of information that has been intentionally utilized for the purpose of spreading misinformation. 

The recent purchase by Elon Musk of Twitter causes me some construnation.  This is not that Twitter has not been without its own problems.  Russian Bots, white spread white supremacists messaging, the wide misuse of the Platform by Trump before he was banned, misinformation during the pandemic, and election propaganda that was flat out inaccurate. 

I have from time to time reevaluated my usage of the platform (as I have facebook as well) and I have taken pauses at times in how active I have been on it. 

The purchase of the platform by Elon Musk or by anyone is in and of itself not going to make of break Twitter.  But the underlying changes in day to day operations over time can make it healthier or just the opposite. 

​What bothers me is the fact that Elon Musk has rained retribution on those in the organization who actually gave the general public a break for hate and disinformation of Donald Trump.  The platform did not owe him anything.  Nor does it me, or anyone for that matter. 

Trump was not a responsible actor on Twitter. Nor has he been on any platform that he has been able to spew forth on. This is not simply a matter of disagreeing with him. There are plenty of people I disagree with, but. do not for that alone wish them off any platform. 

I know there will be people who will not like what I have said here and that is fine. You have a right to your opinions. 

​I have not concluded one way or the other if I will continue to stay on twitter. Let's say I am watching and my options are definitely in flux.  I don't exactly consider Musk a stabilizing factor. I'm not suggesting he is not an intelligent man. There are intelligent people who lack common sense. There are also intelligent people who lack emotional maturity as well. 

To the extent that twitter can be utilized as a vehicle for good, more power to it. But Twitter has been used by many people to spread hate and disinformation and organize to the detriment of our Democracy.  How Musk handles this platform for good or bad will have a lot to do with my continuation as a tweeter. 





#Twitter #ElonMusk #Force4Good  #Force4Evil  #WritersToolBox