Twitter Mourned Before It’s Gone. A Warning, or a Prophecy?

Everybody sees what’s happening to Twitter after its acquisition by Elon Musk. Technical breakdowns, critical system failures, workforce flowing away – all these symptoms may signal no good to the famous microblogging service. So we see #RIPTwitter and #TwitterDown trending all over the platform, and these eulogizing trends don’t seem to calm down. The chaotic decisions by Musk who both wanted Twitter to start earning and comply with his views on freedom of speech didn’t do any good… seemingly. The most noticeable result of this is the exodus of Twitter employees. Some of them were just fired, others left at will after seeing what’s going on. Other unwelcome changes include cutting the team that worked on accessibility features. What’s been made to the verification system doesn’t do Twitter any good, either. Not only did it provoke scandalous conversations, like that between Elon Musk and the unsatisfied Stephen King; it also opened the gate for numerous misleading tweets from fake “verified” accounts. The attempts to hold this at bay appeared to be even more frustrating. This seemed like the final drop to many of Twitterians who start mourning the good old Twitter. What made it “good” was the unique opportunity for every group to not feel marginalized but be able to build a community. This can’t be achieved on Facebook with its excessive moderation or Telegram which has some publishing and social features but works primarily as a messenger. The final nail in the coffin isn’t here yet, but it can be somewhere around. Probably what keeps Twitter alive is the lack of alternatives, but they have started emerging recently. The most famous of them is the decentralized Mastodon, allowing users to choose the server of the most interest to them and yet be able to communicate across all the servers. What do you think about Twitter’s future? Is it as bleak as it seems? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Mariana Rocha 23 Nov 2022