I’ve been on Twitter for over 15 years now (a disturbing bit of trivia in and of itself) and have seen all the changes along the way.
Since Elon Musk took the company private in October 2022, there’s undoubtedly been an uproar from many who believe the site will become a cesspool of misinformation, hatred, and racism.
Even the education world that embraced Twitter as a way to grow personal learning networks over a decade ago has begun to show signs of leaving the platform.
Musk has already laid off roughly half of Twitter’s staff, fired some top leaders, and deep-sixed its board of directors.
The changes could have major repercussions. Back in 2021, Twitter famously ousted President Donald Trump when he declared that voter fraud had cost him the presidential election, despite an overwhelming lack of evidence to support his claims.
Now educators are wondering whether they will be able to continue using Twitter as they always have, or whether it will become a dumping ground for racism, dangerous misinformation, and threats.
via EdWeek
Personally, I have no plans to leave Twitter. I’ll continue to use it as a platform to connect and share ideas with others.
I can’t control what others do, especially not the actions of Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter.
And if you’re leaving, I understand. We all have to do what is best for our mental health.
But I wonder if, by leaving, we are only giving power to those we least want controlling the narrative on Twitter.
Maybe we should stick around and keep doing good things and sharing all the good others do, too.