Delete your account or stop complaining about Twitter
Every day it seems like the world (and by that, I mean Twitter) is coming to an end. And because of that, I shake my head and remember how sad society is with its reliance on social media.
I’ve written many times before that I have little interest in posting on different platforms and the only reason I do is because it’s expected in my broadcasting and publishing work. (Fun fact: I haven’t posted on Instagram since Aug. 1, my birthday.)
Now that Elon Musk has taken over Twitter — and fired most of the staff, implemented pay-per-use features, reinstated Donald Trump and other controversial celebrities — it’s had the platform under the microscope with high-profile people and organizations threatening to disable their accounts.
Weeks ago, celebrities such as Shonda Rhimes, Sara Bareilles and Toni Braxton all threatened to exit but haven’t actually shutdown their respective pages, instead simply stopped posting. That’s led to Twitter users mocking the D-list celebs with messages such as, “This isn’t the airport, no need to announce your departure.” I saw it dozens of times while scrolling the still-active celeb pages.
CBS News reacted to the Twitter turmoil by issuing statements that its respective news and local news accounts would stop posting because of “security concerns” following the exit of key personnel at the social media company.
Initially the move was reported by other media outlets and it appeared CBS (which has the lowest-rated suppertime news telecast) would expect others to follow, in turn, sending a message to Musk.
Instead, the CBS News PR team returned to Twitter less than 48 hours later saying, “After pausing for much of the weekend to assess the security concerns, CBS News and Stations is resuming its activity on Twitter as we continue to monitor the situation.”
As you can imagine, the company was mocked endlessly with tens of thousands of replies to that announcement – including one from Musk who posted a giggling emoji.
In fairness, some people, like Whoopi Goldberg, made good on their threats to delete their account, but the talk-show host had been on the record for years saying she doesn’t care about social media and rarely posted, anyway. So, a real loss for the platform or not? Goldberg, too, was roasted by users saying they didn’t even realize she was on Twitter.
I’m always fascinated when people make a formal post announcing their exit (you’ve seen them: the people who say, “I’m taking a break”) but realize how lonely their life is without that constant acknowledgement from their network of “friends” and return sooner than expected.
I’m tempted to ask them: Are you living life for yourself or for others? Are you able to enjoy something without getting the reassurance from an audience? But in doing so, I’d likely be considered a troll and told to get a life. Ironic, right?
