Should I stay or should I go?
I joined Twitter in 2010 to meet other writers and connect with fellow MFA students. Over the years, I discovered other like-minded writers, well-informed tweeters, and scores of fascinating, diverse, and genuinely funny folks. Through another writer, I found a publisher to query, and that publisher bought my novel. After publication, I shared my book on Twitter. I got press and radio interviews. I’ve found terrific creative people from all over the world to feature on my blog.
I understand some people never got the hang of Twitter, but I genuinely enjoy it. I made many connections, even though I’ve only met a handful face to face. Some people have tens of thousands of followers, but I’m proud to have earned organically (as opposed to buying followers) over 3K. To me, it’s all about interaction. I don’t want to lose them.
My concerns
Musk tweets as if the site is a toy. He’s put a ton of good people out of work (and then begged them to return). He feeds off controversy. It isn’t a good look.
I understand why people would ditch Twitter because of him. Yet, Mark Zuckerberg is in many ways just as devious as Musk, and people opt to stay on Facebook. There’s always been discord on social media. (And let’s get real: Facebook still needs to clean house.)
The possibility that Twitter might sink under the weight of conspiracy theories, racism and homophobia is real, however. So, what then?
Where to go?
I have been connecting with my Twitter followers on other social media sites just in case Twitter collapses. We now have a #CorgiCrew group on Instagram. I joined Mastodon and found some of the journalists and activists that I follow on Twitter (Molly Jong Fast, Rick Wilson, The Lincoln Project, Preet Bharara, Dan Rather, even Joe Biden to name a few) so that’s hopeful. Mastodon has many different servers, but they all connect. You pick one and run with it. There’s no algorithm either; whereas on Twitter, raging and vileness is rewarded by increased visibility because others respond in kind.
Wired says on their guide How to Get Started on Mastodon:
This isn’t another startup. It’s not a company at all. It’s a community. There are no ads, no tracking, and no monetization whatsoever. This is a place shaped—at the cultural, design, and code level—by members of marginalized communities who wanted to escape the rage-driven onslaught of trolls and doomscrolling that define social media. A place built around connection and conversation instead of engagement.
Truth matters
So far, I’ve manage to steer clear of bad shit on Twitter, while, at the same time, I can be more vocal, more outspoken about social issues and causes that are important to me. If I did the same on Facebook, I might bore and/or alienate a few friends and family.
I don’t believe we can have a civil society when lies are not called out, where bad actors can impersonate good people, or where conspiracy theories are treated as facts to be amplified to susceptible individuals. I believe social media companies have a responsibility not to give safe haven to subversive groups who promote violence as a political solution, or illegal transactions.
We’ll see what happens.
Go to LinkTree for all my social media links, including Mastodon and Twitter.
Thank you for visiting!
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her multi-award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.
Learn more about her poetry chapbook, Security
