This interview with Joan Donovan, Research Director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, has been edited and condensed for clarity. LEGUM: Many readers of Popular Information are Twitter users. How should intelligent news consumers think about the chaos on Twitter since Musk took over?
I walked away from Twitter (didn't delete my account, but haven't posted, visited the site or responded to any posts) the day after the self-proclaimed "Chief Twit" reinstated the account of professional Jew-hater Andrew Anglin. That was it as far as I was concerned. I won't go back until/unless Musk sells Twitter. I miss some of the people I followed, but I refuse to give this classless cretin the website traffic he needs.
What a thoughtful commentary. The final paragraph and its suggestion that data ownership will potentially drive innovation is something I used to believe but no longer do simply because so many people don't really care about privacy and data ownership.
Until it bites them in the ass, that is. If you make your living by creating content as I do you are much more sensitive to what people do with your content. That extends to worrying about what a platform can do with your content and, as we are seeing, we can't trust Twitter now given Musk's whims.
Fortunately I'm not in the news business -- I'm just a consumer and consult as many sources as I can given that formerly reliable sources such as The Washington Post are no longer as trustworthy as they once were. Giving up Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has not really affected my access to news -- there are many sources out there (https://www.ddmcd.com/managing-technology/mynews) -- but it has reduced my exposure to unpleasant and unproductive political arguments.
What worries me most about sources like Twitter and The Washington Post and their deteriorating performance as reliable news sources is that it is possibe to pay for and subscribe to intelligent and thoughtful sources (like POPULAR INFORMATION) but I'm seeing so many new subscription service rising that I can't possible pay for everything.
And that's what Twitter's decay points out: There AIn't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, even if it's advertiser supported.
I left Twitter one week after Musk took control and I opened a Mastodon account. I found you there yesterday Judd! I have heard the argument to stay on Twitter and fight. Thing is, nobody is listening on Twitter and no one’s mind is being changed on anything. It is just shouting, anger, lies and crude, vile comments made about others. I don’t want to support that environment in any way. More members means more advertising dollars. I deleted my account. I wish more media, newsletters, authors would leave Twitter for the same reason. Take as many as you can with you and let it become irrelevant.
Mastodon is none of that. Takes a minute to figure out but it is a much better atmosphere. I find more of my former Twitter follows everyday. I miss the international accounts I followed for info on what’s going on in their country and their perspective on ours. I did find the reporter in Ukraine I really like who keeps me updated on the war.
I like the emphasis on legislation at the end here. These social media giants aren't going to rein themselves in. Unfortunately, I don't know how willing or able a lot of our old-guard politicians are to understand the issues at play here and to make the kinds of changes that will put more power in the people's hands.
OK. Full disclosure. I am 80 and I don’t have a Twitter account. I also don’t see a need for one . I am also offended by the electronic sign on my local VA Hospital that says “ Follow us on Twitter , Facebook, ...” Why not refer us to the New York Times or some local newspapers? This VA reference is only illustrative. There are many such announcements of connectivity. Businesses, organizations, etc. Perhaps we ( the readers of actual journalism DIRECTLY FROM ITS SOURCE ) should stop patronizing these “ Social Media “ sites as a source of news and analysis. It appears to this old crank that these sites use (steal) other people’s work). I hope Musk destroys Twitter and in the process makes users rethink all such sites. Sorry to ramble.
As soon as the sale of Twitter went through to Musk, I deleted my account. It was a sad moment for me as I had many followers…as an ordinary individual. I chatted with some great minds on a daily basis there. I fully understand how those with tens if thousands or million plus followers had to be careful about their next steps. Many hoped Musk would give it up. He may have to now. Even so, I could not stay under the ownership of yet another narcissistic-billionaire-brat.
I finally made the move to a new growing site, Mastodon. I am perfectly willing to be patient as it is getting overwhelmed right now.
Musk is gravely wounding the reputation of Tesla. He is not one of the founders. One commenter suggested people “key” any Tesla they see…that’s as idiotic and MAGA as one can get!
As a Tesla owner, I was horrified at this type of comment. And it wasn’t from a MAGA but a regular chatter in a progressive group.
The Tesla board should remove Musk as a danger to the brand. But of course…he’s the biggest investor. This country truly is, in the words of late Paul Wellstone (regarding government contracts), “It is a system of legalized bribery and legalized extortion.”
"Legislation is going to be required to change this so that we can have more innovation."
I'm all for amending Section 230 so that platforms that algorithmically boost or make revenue from boosting a post are liable for the content. But I also think that anti-trust enforcement would go a long way to fixing the concentration of social media without new legislation.
I quit twitter and FB a few years ago, couldn’t take the attacks and arguing. Plus, they were a huge time suck. Still have instagram but only check it every one or two weeks, and most of what I follow are animal pics & videos because they give me a little joy. There are several outlets where I keep up with the news but must agree it’s becoming cost prohibitive. There’s my 2 cents.
“One of the things that we need to do is to incentivize more innovation.”
We have to outlaw monopolies! Every time a new idea in competition with the “big guys” comes along, they get bought out and absorbed by the “big guys.” Thus squashing what could have been of innovation making the big corporations bigger.
This was an informative piece. In the TwitterSpaces Joan mentions, Elon told us exactly why he wanted Twitter, but many, maybe most, didn’t listen and believe. It seems as if we’d learned nothing else in the Trump era, we should have learned to listen when people tell us who they are. Musk wanted power, pure and simple, and he got it. Now that Twitter is his, he really can do as he pleases and is obligated only to himself, the people who rolled their investment over, to his other sources of income and to federal law where applicable. Tesla investors are unhappy, but are Jack and the Saudi Prince? Unless it was a command performance in Qatar, I’m guessing the Prince is fine. And as for federal law, we all know how long it takes to build a case.
I’m a consumer rather than content creator, and I used Twitter as an amalgam of news and info. I found PI through Twitter, and I also found TPM and Teri Kanefield there (to name a few) and learned about other social media sites there. It’s been a quick way to find WaPo and NYT articles of key interest. Twitter has been useful, and it’s often been fun. But, Twitter owed us nothing. It’s been free, and it’s been a good ride. It now appears over.
I’ve been shocked at the level of stress the Twitter change caused for me. I was spending too much time there and found myself too concerned about what was happening. I found Post and was lucky to get off the waitlist quickly. I haven’t given up Twitter, but spend 90% less time there. I am so much happier. Seriously. I like Post. Content creators are coming, the waitlist is moving and new features are released weekly. Engagement happens. Yes, there are legit issues people have with the platform, some of which will be resolved during the beta cycle, but others, such as ownership, won’t be.
With so many new public squares, content creators need a way to automate posts so they hit multiple platforms and find a way to engage/converse with readers on some or all. Maybe more content creators will join forces ala Bulwark or Semafor. Some may push for legislation that allows ownership of their data, as Joan suggests. I think there’s little doubt this is an inflection point.
Judd, my organization Unfinished Labs is part of a larger effort called Project Liberty, which is working alongside many different organizations, universities, ethicists, community leaders and others such as Frances Haugen, on a solution to decentralize and democratize social media. We have a working platform and specification for this right now. This effort was spearheaded by Frank McCourt and Braxton Woodham. I don’t want to post links here but anyone who wants to learn more can easily find out with a simple search. Frank and Project Liberty have been featured in numerous publications including Time, Rolling Stone and Forbes. Our code is open source too, so anyone may see exactly what we’re doing.
I use Twitter for multiple things: breaking news, funny memes, live sports video clips. I have a range of topical interests: graphic design, journalism, political commentary. It's hard to envision going to another platform that would easily enable me to connect to the same eclectic network of people and accounts. OTOH, when I think about how I feel after reading content like this article, or anything really other than pet videos--which is a combination of anger, frustration, and angst at being powerless to fix anything--it may just be time for me to cut the cord entirely and go back to something like an RSS feed and subs to a few newsletters like this one, Mother Jones, and Robert Reich's. But those too cause me more angry impotence than is good for me.
Given the chief twit-wit's actions, I think everyone needs to think long and hard about continuing to support the platform. I've deleted my account. I wish there was a good alternative, but at this point there does not seem to be a unified platform that can replace Twitter.
One suggestion I do have is to make sure the RSS feed for PI is front and center. I've been moving a lot of my former Twitter connections to RSS where possible.
Judd, You and many other Substack writers give us the details we need to win arguments with Republican family members or Republicans we run into in public. I no longer consider anyone who supports the fascist criminal cult of republicans to be friends.
But even overhearing arguments from everyday people goes a long way in getting people to understand. The ultra MAGA will not change because they are too deeply indoctrinated. But many are reachable.
I found out about Judd through Robert Reich, not Twitter. Never used Twitter. Have no interest in using Twitter now. I share Judd's news stories on my FB page at times.
I walked away from Twitter (didn't delete my account, but haven't posted, visited the site or responded to any posts) the day after the self-proclaimed "Chief Twit" reinstated the account of professional Jew-hater Andrew Anglin. That was it as far as I was concerned. I won't go back until/unless Musk sells Twitter. I miss some of the people I followed, but I refuse to give this classless cretin the website traffic he needs.
What a thoughtful commentary. The final paragraph and its suggestion that data ownership will potentially drive innovation is something I used to believe but no longer do simply because so many people don't really care about privacy and data ownership.
Until it bites them in the ass, that is. If you make your living by creating content as I do you are much more sensitive to what people do with your content. That extends to worrying about what a platform can do with your content and, as we are seeing, we can't trust Twitter now given Musk's whims.
Fortunately I'm not in the news business -- I'm just a consumer and consult as many sources as I can given that formerly reliable sources such as The Washington Post are no longer as trustworthy as they once were. Giving up Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has not really affected my access to news -- there are many sources out there (https://www.ddmcd.com/managing-technology/mynews) -- but it has reduced my exposure to unpleasant and unproductive political arguments.
What worries me most about sources like Twitter and The Washington Post and their deteriorating performance as reliable news sources is that it is possibe to pay for and subscribe to intelligent and thoughtful sources (like POPULAR INFORMATION) but I'm seeing so many new subscription service rising that I can't possible pay for everything.
And that's what Twitter's decay points out: There AIn't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, even if it's advertiser supported.
I left Twitter one week after Musk took control and I opened a Mastodon account. I found you there yesterday Judd! I have heard the argument to stay on Twitter and fight. Thing is, nobody is listening on Twitter and no one’s mind is being changed on anything. It is just shouting, anger, lies and crude, vile comments made about others. I don’t want to support that environment in any way. More members means more advertising dollars. I deleted my account. I wish more media, newsletters, authors would leave Twitter for the same reason. Take as many as you can with you and let it become irrelevant.
Mastodon is none of that. Takes a minute to figure out but it is a much better atmosphere. I find more of my former Twitter follows everyday. I miss the international accounts I followed for info on what’s going on in their country and their perspective on ours. I did find the reporter in Ukraine I really like who keeps me updated on the war.
I like the emphasis on legislation at the end here. These social media giants aren't going to rein themselves in. Unfortunately, I don't know how willing or able a lot of our old-guard politicians are to understand the issues at play here and to make the kinds of changes that will put more power in the people's hands.
OK. Full disclosure. I am 80 and I don’t have a Twitter account. I also don’t see a need for one . I am also offended by the electronic sign on my local VA Hospital that says “ Follow us on Twitter , Facebook, ...” Why not refer us to the New York Times or some local newspapers? This VA reference is only illustrative. There are many such announcements of connectivity. Businesses, organizations, etc. Perhaps we ( the readers of actual journalism DIRECTLY FROM ITS SOURCE ) should stop patronizing these “ Social Media “ sites as a source of news and analysis. It appears to this old crank that these sites use (steal) other people’s work). I hope Musk destroys Twitter and in the process makes users rethink all such sites. Sorry to ramble.
As soon as the sale of Twitter went through to Musk, I deleted my account. It was a sad moment for me as I had many followers…as an ordinary individual. I chatted with some great minds on a daily basis there. I fully understand how those with tens if thousands or million plus followers had to be careful about their next steps. Many hoped Musk would give it up. He may have to now. Even so, I could not stay under the ownership of yet another narcissistic-billionaire-brat.
I finally made the move to a new growing site, Mastodon. I am perfectly willing to be patient as it is getting overwhelmed right now.
Musk is gravely wounding the reputation of Tesla. He is not one of the founders. One commenter suggested people “key” any Tesla they see…that’s as idiotic and MAGA as one can get!
As a Tesla owner, I was horrified at this type of comment. And it wasn’t from a MAGA but a regular chatter in a progressive group.
The Tesla board should remove Musk as a danger to the brand. But of course…he’s the biggest investor. This country truly is, in the words of late Paul Wellstone (regarding government contracts), “It is a system of legalized bribery and legalized extortion.”
"Legislation is going to be required to change this so that we can have more innovation."
I'm all for amending Section 230 so that platforms that algorithmically boost or make revenue from boosting a post are liable for the content. But I also think that anti-trust enforcement would go a long way to fixing the concentration of social media without new legislation.
I quit twitter and FB a few years ago, couldn’t take the attacks and arguing. Plus, they were a huge time suck. Still have instagram but only check it every one or two weeks, and most of what I follow are animal pics & videos because they give me a little joy. There are several outlets where I keep up with the news but must agree it’s becoming cost prohibitive. There’s my 2 cents.
“One of the things that we need to do is to incentivize more innovation.”
We have to outlaw monopolies! Every time a new idea in competition with the “big guys” comes along, they get bought out and absorbed by the “big guys.” Thus squashing what could have been of innovation making the big corporations bigger.
This was an informative piece. In the TwitterSpaces Joan mentions, Elon told us exactly why he wanted Twitter, but many, maybe most, didn’t listen and believe. It seems as if we’d learned nothing else in the Trump era, we should have learned to listen when people tell us who they are. Musk wanted power, pure and simple, and he got it. Now that Twitter is his, he really can do as he pleases and is obligated only to himself, the people who rolled their investment over, to his other sources of income and to federal law where applicable. Tesla investors are unhappy, but are Jack and the Saudi Prince? Unless it was a command performance in Qatar, I’m guessing the Prince is fine. And as for federal law, we all know how long it takes to build a case.
I’m a consumer rather than content creator, and I used Twitter as an amalgam of news and info. I found PI through Twitter, and I also found TPM and Teri Kanefield there (to name a few) and learned about other social media sites there. It’s been a quick way to find WaPo and NYT articles of key interest. Twitter has been useful, and it’s often been fun. But, Twitter owed us nothing. It’s been free, and it’s been a good ride. It now appears over.
I’ve been shocked at the level of stress the Twitter change caused for me. I was spending too much time there and found myself too concerned about what was happening. I found Post and was lucky to get off the waitlist quickly. I haven’t given up Twitter, but spend 90% less time there. I am so much happier. Seriously. I like Post. Content creators are coming, the waitlist is moving and new features are released weekly. Engagement happens. Yes, there are legit issues people have with the platform, some of which will be resolved during the beta cycle, but others, such as ownership, won’t be.
With so many new public squares, content creators need a way to automate posts so they hit multiple platforms and find a way to engage/converse with readers on some or all. Maybe more content creators will join forces ala Bulwark or Semafor. Some may push for legislation that allows ownership of their data, as Joan suggests. I think there’s little doubt this is an inflection point.
Judd, my organization Unfinished Labs is part of a larger effort called Project Liberty, which is working alongside many different organizations, universities, ethicists, community leaders and others such as Frances Haugen, on a solution to decentralize and democratize social media. We have a working platform and specification for this right now. This effort was spearheaded by Frank McCourt and Braxton Woodham. I don’t want to post links here but anyone who wants to learn more can easily find out with a simple search. Frank and Project Liberty have been featured in numerous publications including Time, Rolling Stone and Forbes. Our code is open source too, so anyone may see exactly what we’re doing.
I use Twitter for multiple things: breaking news, funny memes, live sports video clips. I have a range of topical interests: graphic design, journalism, political commentary. It's hard to envision going to another platform that would easily enable me to connect to the same eclectic network of people and accounts. OTOH, when I think about how I feel after reading content like this article, or anything really other than pet videos--which is a combination of anger, frustration, and angst at being powerless to fix anything--it may just be time for me to cut the cord entirely and go back to something like an RSS feed and subs to a few newsletters like this one, Mother Jones, and Robert Reich's. But those too cause me more angry impotence than is good for me.
Given the chief twit-wit's actions, I think everyone needs to think long and hard about continuing to support the platform. I've deleted my account. I wish there was a good alternative, but at this point there does not seem to be a unified platform that can replace Twitter.
One suggestion I do have is to make sure the RSS feed for PI is front and center. I've been moving a lot of my former Twitter connections to RSS where possible.
Judd, You and many other Substack writers give us the details we need to win arguments with Republican family members or Republicans we run into in public. I no longer consider anyone who supports the fascist criminal cult of republicans to be friends.
But even overhearing arguments from everyday people goes a long way in getting people to understand. The ultra MAGA will not change because they are too deeply indoctrinated. But many are reachable.
The bulk of people are mentally challenged, but that doesn't mean you abolish tools because many don't know how to use them.
I found out about Judd through Robert Reich, not Twitter. Never used Twitter. Have no interest in using Twitter now. I share Judd's news stories on my FB page at times.