Read on Twitter
A quick thread.... I signed up for this site nearly 12 years ago to connect with like-minded people and to learn more from them—particularly those interested in the intersection of sports and social media ( #smsports)
Obviously Twitter changed a lot. So have I. Change is ok. 1/
Obviously Twitter changed a lot. So have I. Change is ok. 1/
I used this space to commiserate, stay up on trends, share work, and learn learn learn. I’ve met AMAZING people because of this site—people I’d have no reason to ever know. Smarter people who taught me lots and shaped my career. Been places I’d never visit—because of Twitter. 2/
So much has changed about Twitter and really, social media. I’m not the first to say it. Not all bad but certainly not all good.
I’ve seen a few things:
1) Rapid expansion and adoption of social across all industries. So many ideas, creativity and customization. So great! 3/
I’ve seen a few things:
1) Rapid expansion and adoption of social across all industries. So many ideas, creativity and customization. So great! 3/
2) I’ve also seen the slow choking out of true social media. From bots to fake influencers to the death of organic content to the sheer amount of money it takes to reach people now. We’ve lost so much of what made social ... social. People have left here. I miss them. 4/
3) Now we battle each other here. There are opposing sides to everything. Not just politics. Collaboration is rare. Replaced by my side must win no matter what. Not to mention rampant racism, hate and vitriol. I’m disgusted by what I see daily. Social is weaponized for hate. 5/
I miss what this used to be. The promise of what the next day would bring. What you’d learn. Who you’d meet. What would be new. Scrolling back to where I left off instead of doomscrolling. Meeting new people instead of wondering which tweets to report. Trusting people. 6/
I still believe in the power of social. It’s imperative those who see its value keep fighting to make it better.
It doesn’t have to be what it was. It must be better than it is.
We need leader voices to be louder and clearer. We need more conversation and less arguing. 7/
It doesn’t have to be what it was. It must be better than it is.
We need leader voices to be louder and clearer. We need more conversation and less arguing. 7/
We also need brands and those leaders here to stand up and demand the platforms change. We must clean house and clean up this site and others. We will need regulation and we may need to break up how the platforms are currently distributed and managed. 8/
I’m not naive and I know pervasive actors will fight to keep what’s allowed them to flourish for several years now. But it’s in our best interest—and I believe in the best interest of brands—to stand up and demand permanent changes. 9/
Remove hate. Weed out falseness. Return trust and decency. Social media will likely always be a place to exchange ideas, debate and score points for your side. But what has that turned us into? We are not the same people. It’s time to heal. Change. Improve. All of us. /end
