THE TWITTER TIZZY

I never got the hang of Twitter though I’ve been on it for years. I’d tweet occasionally and once in a while look at others tweets but using it as a marketing tool or, really, as anything, has been beyond me.

Now under its new owner, Twitter seems to be crumbling while at the same time becoming a safe harbor for those who want to post their violent, hateful, and insane thoughts, and users are fleeing. 

There are options

Some of the previously unheard of (to me, at least) options are Mastodon, Hive, Post Social, and Tribel. Based on the cursing and moaning I’ve seen on Facebook, none of them is a perfect substitute and most have problems or are difficult to understand. While I’m confident people will work out how to use these apps, I believe the technical problems will increase as the apps are swamped by large numbers of users joining at once.

Can it be replaced?

Twitter before it was hijacked was far from perfect and the attempts to moderate the conversation weren’t always successful. But it was a singular worldwide communication hub, where people from every part of society, with widely different political, religious, and cultural beliefs could express their ideas and opinions. 

I visualize today’s Twitter as the top of a funnel draining into a number of smaller silos.

Thus, users leaving Twitter and joining one or more of the four apps I listed or others I haven’t heard of will be in a much smaller, contained, universe and have far less exposure to others than they had before. I don’t believe that segregating into various apps will replace Twitter. It will create a different, maybe even a better experience, but it won’t be the same.

What to do?

As I said, I wasn’t and am not a fan of Twitter so I think I’ll wait and watch and see how things fall out before I rush to join another app.

What about you readers?  Are you leaving Twitter? Are you replacing it with a different app?

Catherine Maiorisi

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Catherine Maiorisi is the author of the NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli Mystery series featuring Corelli and her partner Detective P.J. Parker–two tough women, fighting each other while solving high profile crimes. A Matter of BloodThe Blood Runs ColdA Message in Blood, and Legacy in the Blood are all available as ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks narrated by Abby Craden.  

In addition to publishing multiple mystery and romance short stories in various anthologies, Catherine has authored four romances novels. Her latest book, The Disappearance of Lindy James, was awarded a GOLDIE for Best General Fiction.

23 comments

  1. I left my Twitter account up for advertising. At first I set up an account on Mastodon. It’s a nightmare to use. So now I have an account on Hive. Many writer friends moved over there too. But FB is where I get the most interaction.

  2. I love Facebook. I joined Hive. I’m conflicted over Twitter. I spent so long building up a following there, and I still have a lot of fun there, but I mainly follow Monty Don and Anne Lamott. I also like to make sure New York City isn’t trending. It’s a good place to get quick information. But there is a lot of vile stuff going on there. I guess I’m just waiting to see what happens.

  3. I never got the hang of Twitter, either. I joined Mastodon, haven’t logged in since doing so. Honestly, keeping up with Facebook and Instagram is enough as it is!

  4. Weirdly, Twitter is more fun now than it was before. I don’t know if it’s because it’s quieter, or the algorithm adjusted to me, but now when I pop in, I see posts from people I like and scroll quickly past anybody who doesn’t matter to me. I’ve gotten some good book and movie recommendations lately from people I follow. Maybe it’s changing for the good! And yeah, FB and Instagram are about enough. I can barely keep up with that.

  5. Interesting oped in the New York Times today by Chris Hayes (MSNBC). The point I took from it is, Twitter came close to “the core vision of what the global town square could look like” AND SHOULD NOT BE OWNED PRIVATELY.

  6. I will most likely be the only one, but I have used and enjoyed Twitter. I don’t use it as a news service but as a way to connect directly with groups. I do have a large group with other authors, and we do RT each other to get exposure and support with writing. I have over 18K followers. Through this group, I have been invited to do podcasts in London and groups in UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia as well as US. Others in the group have over 250K followers and more so it helps me to be RT by them. It helps international sales.
    I don’t use it as a news outlet or read tweets from people I don’t follow. That includes politics as well as many other areas. Much like reading a newspaper, I go to the sections I enjoy and ignore all the others I don’t. You can curate whom you follow, and you don’t have to read anything that’s trending etc. You are not automatically a part of it.
    I will admit I did follow some of the World series scores and World cup. So far, I haven’t left as I am connected to many a good friend.
    I am active on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook – pages and groups, Instagram and Pinterest. Eventually I may go to Hive, but not sure the readers are there yet.

    1. Thanks for responding, Linda. I’m impressed. I wish I knew enough to take advantage of it the way you have. I’ll have to check to see whether we’re friends. I’m sure I could learn a lot from watching you in action.

  7. I’ve stayed on Twitter. I’m like Emilya; the algorithm seems to have settled out and I’m getting posts from crime writers and other friends (plus the doggy ones I follow!) and I think I will just let it be for a while. I steer away from the vile stuff and it hasn’t followed me. I don’t have the energy tech knowledge to try out a new one. I do FB too when I think of it. Both take time away from other stuff but I try to keep up with friends. It’s mostly a publicity thing on Twitter and more friends on FB for me . . .

    1. Dru Ann, I feel the same. But I have to admit I’m intrigued by how Linda Rawlins has made it work for her. See her comment above.

      1. Mally, because of Musk’s arrogance a part of me would love to see it blow up in his Musk’s face and have him lose billions. On the other hand, it is a wonderful community for some people so if I had my druthers I’d it would be removed from private hands as Chris Hayes suggested in The NY Times today.

  8. I’m like you, Catherine, in that I’m on Twitter but not very active. Strangely, with all the talk about Twitter, I’ve not seen or even heard of any offensive tweets. If I did, I’d scroll past as usual. I’m a fan of free speech.

  9. I confess that I love Twitter, the pre-Musk Twitter that is. I understand its limitations and faults, but as a news junkie and incurable people watcher, it has been unbeatable. I’ve signed up and am apparently on waitlist for Mastodon and one other. We shall see.

  10. I haven’t deactivated my Twitter account but I haven’t been on in a couple of weeks. I used to tweet and RT daily, though I never liked it as a platform. But if all I’m reading about Elon’s treatment of his employees is accurate, then he’s a bully and I really hate bullies. I am adopting a wait and see attitude. I’ll admit Twitter was an easy way to share quick messages and read up on others. I do okay on FB and do have IG. Not going to try any others for now. It’s all a big time suck.

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