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It’s been four days since Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, and already he’s facing pushback from celebrities, lawmakers, and advertisers worried about how the social network will change under his leadership, even as many conservative voices rejoice.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is among those voicing concerns. Asked Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press whether she trusts Musk now that he runs Twitter, she replied, “No, I do not.”

The Minnesota Democrat wants more content moderation and less immunity for social networks that amplify hate speech. Referring to the man who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband this week, she said, “He was posting anti-Semitic tropes; he was showing memes that showed violence and all of this election-denying, pro-Trump, MAGA-crowd rhetoric. That’s what we’re dealing with here…I just don’t think people should be making money off of passing on this stuff that’s a bunch of lies.” […]

Meanwhile NBA star LeBron James tweeted yesterday that the surge in N-word use on Twitter since Musk’s takeover was “scary AF,” and added that he hoped Musk “and his people take this very seriously.” […]

In response to James’s complaint, Musk shared a tweet from a Twitter employee reading, “Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign—and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone.”

* More…

Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on @Twitter. Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.

For example, over the last 12 hours, the use of the n-word has increased nearly 500% from the previous average. pic.twitter.com/mEqziaWuMF

— Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri_io) October 28, 2022

* The Question: Are any of you thinking about abandoning Twitter? Why or why not?

posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:10 pm

Comments

Already quit. It was a cesspool of misinformation and right wing extremism before Musk took over. Only promises to get worse now. A truly terrible website. Everybody hates it and everybody else on it

Comment by SWIL_Voter Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:14 pm
One, I love a good self-immolation so I’m not leaving yet.

Two, the way things are going he’s going to get bored, hire a CEO to run it like it was run before so he can make the debt payments, and Elon will go back to his other ventures.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:18 pm
What a world we live in.

Comment by William Walsh from Oswego Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:20 pm
I am not. Given Musk’s track record, I suspect many of his changes won’t actually occur, and the ones that do will probably have only a minimal impact on how I use the App.

That being said, I have thought about what it would take for me to leave the site, and it basically comes down to if it becomes harder to find the content I want, I’m gone. And I’m not gonna pay for anything. It’s possible that it comes to that.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:20 pm
Thinking about it, but it will be hard to replace the “up to the moment” feel of news intake on there. I will also probably have less headaches from reporters both-sidesing everything into oblivion on there.

Is anyone surprised by that up-tick in racial slurs though? That’s basically all Parler and their ilk are these days, that’s why they can’t get advertisers for anything other than doomsday prepper kits, Trump coins, and gold.

Comment by Commissar Gritty Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:23 pm
No.

For the same reason I don’t abandon any other social media. Social media is always a reflection of the user. Always. But people don’t like to admit they have responsibility themselves. It’s always someone else who should have that responsibility.

My twitter feed right now is filled with pictures from the JWST, a PhD paper written by someone proposing a new process for hail formation in severe thunderstorms, and some xkcd comics.

I don’t care why other people use twitter, or how toxic they are. That’s their problem. If you feel your feed is toxic, then you need to make better decisions on who you follow.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:25 pm
Twitter is like going to a smorgasbord.

Yeah, in an overall, it’s likely really terrible, lots of bad, lots more awful.

You can pick and choose how you consume with a smorgasbord, like you may not get “meat” there, but the potatoes and desserts are good, and never get alleged “cooked seafood”

It’s very unhealthy, even the salad is lacking…

… so if I find myself looking at the Twitter, odds are I wouldn’t be exposed to things I wouldn’t accidentally want to find.

I do think the unhealthy diet of consuming the Twitter as one might have before this change, the mental health damage the Twitter machine can and does to one and to an overall is happening, now at a level “times 10”

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:26 pm
Ever since I subscribed to the Proft papers I dropped Twitter and get my news from Proft/S

Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:27 pm
==I love a good self-immolation==

What exactly are you altruistically sacrificing by staying on Twitter? I feel like self-harm would be better phraseology here.

As for me, I am seriously contemplating quitting altogether. Which sucks! I use Twitter for live updates on news stories and political scoops. And it’s really good at giving me those things–there’s not a different app out there right now that can really say the same.

On the other hand, Elon has proven himself to be an individual with the social IQ of a lump of coal. He’s already propagated a despicable conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi (who is still in the hospital, by the way!) on the platform HE OWNS.

It’s so stupid. I might just quit social media period at this rate, the FOMO might be worth the net gains for my mental health.

Comment by Gen Z Opinionater Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:28 pm
I’m not leaving because I never started. To clarify, I created an account years ago but I honestly can’t remember my user name or password, Twitter has meant that much to me. I liken it to smoking, if you never start, it’s so much easier to walk away from, and there might even be some health benefits.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:29 pm
I abandoned it long ago. I am not a fan of technologies that allow people to share ideas without accepting critique/criticism. Conversation is essential to democracy, not demagoguery.

Comment by H-W Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:31 pm
Not contemplating leaving. I don’t have a “blue check,” even though I’ve been trying to get one for years. I eventually gave up and glad I did because the blue checks have bot trolls following them around wherever they go. So, it’s not so horrible for me yet.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:31 pm
No, I use Twitter as a news feed and have few individuals that I follow, so I don’t get toxic and abusive garbage that others see. But, I won’t pay to tweet, so I’m gone if that happens.

Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:33 pm
==And I’m not gonna pay for anything.==

Unfortunately, like most things, if you’re not the consumer (paying for it) you’re the consumed.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:34 pm
I left a few months ago, mainly because I just didn’t utilize it as much as other social media platforms. I had better traction for sharing my work via TikTok and Reddit than I ever had on twitter.

Comment by Fixer Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:36 pm
I’m actually planning on joining. College basketball season is starting and teams do a great job posting updated scores here.

Comment by Mr. Middle Ground Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:37 pm
I have seriously reduced my time there. Basically I have a list with Chicago people in it and I follow that. Nothing else. In exchange, I’ve tried out Tribell, eh, it seems to be growing, so maybe. And mastodon. Mastodon seems to be working for me. I have a couple accounts on different instances, one on a Finnish only server and one on a European server for other languages. So far what I’ve noticed is that the German language news industry seems very active on Mastodon and the users on the Finnish server link themselves to YLE (their BBC equiv) and other sources.
Because these instances are smaller, I feel more confident posting in Finnish and in German. And because of the rules on the servers I now hate speech won’t be allowed.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:38 pm
Not yet but I am monitoring the situation to see how bad it gets.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:42 pm
==Unfortunately, like most things, if you’re not the consumer (paying for it) you’re the consumed.==

Yes, exactly. I’m aware that that is the transaction- that in exchange for the content Twitter provides me, a fraction of my attention is sold to advertisers. I’m OK with that. But I won’t pay real money for that content.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:42 pm
If you are upset over what Elon is doing to Twitter, wait til you hear what corporations (Gannett) have done and are still doing to newspapers.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:45 pm
Nope. It’s where I get breaking news for the Bears and College Basketball. Twitter is fantastic for that kind of stuff. Awful place for political discourse though.

Comment by ChrisB Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:46 pm
I can’t abandon Twitter because I’ve never been on it.

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:46 pm
If Musk succeeds in getting rid of the bots I think Twitter has an excellent chance to be both better and more a town square than it’s been. I don’t post on the platform but like others have mentioned, I like it as a breaking news and sports source.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:47 pm
Not unless they start charging. OW has an excellent analogy about the platform.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:48 pm
I used it only for notifications for a sports association I followed. It was an easy decision to leave it once Musk started mucking about with it.

Comment by former southerner Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:48 pm
At this point I’m not leaving because I like the ability to hashtag the packers to view their fanbase meltdowns as of late. It’s a very selfish pleasure and I’m not sorry.

Comment by We’ll See Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:51 pm
I’m with JoanP…NeverTwitter.

I find it insidious to democracy.

Comment by Dotnonymous Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:52 pm
For sure considering leaving. The hate speech is nearly unbearable before. Advertisers are going to bail if it gets worse but I’ll be out the door before them. It’ll be like am radio with various bodily dyfunction and pillow ads and no value.

Comment by P. Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:53 pm
not currently on it and have no plans to join. I see enough crackpots posting nonsense elsewhere. no need to see more

Comment by 62629 Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:54 pm
Thinking about leaving because Elon is a punk. Haven’t left yet because I rely on Twitter to remain culturally literate.

Comment by SAP Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 2:54 pm
I’ve never used this service.

Comment by Jerry Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:01 pm
Stay the same think. I just peruse anyway. Social media mostly employs content moderation for the sake of their advertisers. I wonder if Musk just changes the algorithms to keep the crazy posts away from the more liberal companies. I don’t think there is a lot of moral principles guiding any of the social media companies.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:03 pm
I left when it was first announced. It wasn’t great before and now it’s just the world’s most expensive vanity project. Hopefully advertisers will start leaving in droves.

Comment by The Velvet Frog Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:04 pm
Barely use it now. Limit myself to reading posted newspaper articles from legit newspapers. Won’t even bother with comments on any postings.

Comment by Louis G Atsaves Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:07 pm
Like Gruntled University Employee I created an account several years ago, but have literally never used it and do not remember my user name or password. Now I can not even remember why I thought I needed to have it.

Comment by illini Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:07 pm
I’m on Twitter and read quite a bit but rarely post anything. What I usually post are answers to some particularly heinous things put out by Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, or Don Jr. I do that because I really do like poking the idiots for all of their poisonous bull hockey. If Musk (whom I think is truly a twit) starts charging then I will delete my account and really won’t miss it.

Comment by Manchester Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:09 pm
No way. I want to watch it, and Elon’s investment in it, burn all the way down.

= A truly terrible website. =

On the whole, this is true. But if you curate effectively and use the mute function (on people, key words, phrases, whatever) prodigiously, then you can wind up with a very useful feed.

My feed is almost exclusively limited to music/artists, Chicago-centric content, a bunch of funny/cute/smart stuff, and sports. I rarely see a political post or trolls as a result.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:09 pm
Hate speech in the United States cannot be directly regulated by the government due to the fundamental right to freedom of speech protected by the Constitution. For US Senators to try and indirectly regulate it is the very definition of authoritarianism. Durbin had a stupid tweet yesterday which shows his staffer who tweets doesn’t understand the Constitution.

Comment by Over It Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:11 pm
Never had an account. May look at tweets if associated with a news article or something on CapFax. Absolutely not interested in creating an account.

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:12 pm
Right now I need it to watch the polls. But I think Musk and the Saudi ownership is going to be enough to make me leave. The ahead of the news is great but also what a waste of time.

Comment by Ugh Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:18 pm
===Hate speech in the United States cannot be directly regulated by the government due to the fundamental right to freedom of speech protected by the Constitution. For US Senators to try and indirectly regulate it is the very definition of authoritarianism.===

So you’re pro-hate speech?

Now I get the “I don’t like what you say but I’ll defend your right to say it… but the fallout of your words is free speech too”

But the “authoritarian” thingy is like saying “hate speech is ok if it owns the libs like Durbin”

That’s where Twitter is like that Salisbury Steak at the smorgasbord, along with “cooked phony crab legs”… both are sick and not at all nutritional.

(Tips hat to - Norseman-)

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:19 pm
I had an account like ten years ago, but got a new phone and never installed it again. The only time it was useful to me was when Pearl Jam played at Wrigley the first time back in 2013 and they kept us updated on when they would return to the stage after the severe weather. That was the night they played until about 2 am and caused a change in Chicago’s regulations about such events going past 11 pm.

Comment by Vote Quimby Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:21 pm
I am absolutely thinking about it- but not yet gone. Musk seems to not understand that “the customers are the product”. I am there to (mostly) listen to a diverse number of people who are more knowledgeable than I. Twitter is a balloon- which once deflated will not reinflate.

Comment by West Sider Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:22 pm
What’s ‘Twitter’?

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:22 pm
Oooh, one other thing that might make me leave Twitter: if Musk’s moves lead to a resurgence of RSS readers, including, dare I dream, that Google service, then I would probably spend a lot more time with them and a lot less time on twitter.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:22 pm
No. It’s still a source for breaking news, though not as good as it used to be. There are good accounts to follow, but it has always taken some work to find them through the noise. That I don’t think will change. As for the others, the block button still works.

Comment by Jaguar Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:30 pm
I’ve been trying to deactivate my Twitter account since Saturday. I get an error message: “Oops! Try again later.” Is it me or have they frozen accounts to thwart a mass exodus?

Comment by Alton Giant Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:30 pm
I quit. Musk posted a theory on a senators husbands attack that was a conspiracy, then I deleted my account.

Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:30 pm
Elon Musk can’t be trusted and the Hunter Biden laptop is a hoax. What passes for journalism in 2022.

Comment by Trap Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:31 pm
I used to be nice and use the mute button. Now I just block. Ove

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:33 pm
Besides here, Twitter is the best outlet for snark.

Comment by Snarkie from Schaumburg Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:36 pm
Like a lot of commenters, my use of Twitter is limited to lurking. I don’t post/comment/like. If I had to pay anything, I would walk.

Comment by Montrose Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:53 pm
Left social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) in 2016. Best decision I ever made. This site is the closest thing to social media in my life right now.

Comment by Consultant101 Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 3:56 pm
I can ignore twitter for months on end. Same with fb but that’s years on end by now.

If they start charging $5 for account inactivity, like banks, then I’ll leave.

Comment by XonXoff Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 4:13 pm
“Like a lot of commenters, my use of Twitter is limited to lurking. I don’t post/comment/like. If I had to pay anything, I would walk.”

Same for me

Comment by Anon E Moose Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 4:14 pm
I have nothing to do with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or any of the right-wing clones. Social media can quickly become antisocial media. Too many people who should be smart enough to know better are being pulled down rabbitholes. And even when you are able to avoid the conspiracy theories, is it really a good idea to post all sorts of details about your social life, family, and activities where most anyone can see it? Scammers, stalkers, and porch pirates can find a lot of that information useful in their activities.

Comment by MoralMinority Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 4:38 pm
Nope, not leaving.
I’m just gonna watch the world burn down.
I learned long ago, that Twitter is just verbal porn and most of it is a waste of time.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 4:50 pm
I can’t abandon Twitter as I never used twitter.

Comment by G'Kar Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 5:29 pm
Similar to others, I am in a wait-and-see mode. If the bots are permanently quashed, there will be an improvement. Plus, Elon is just a shiny tunnel from O’Hare to Downtown away from… look… squirrel.

Comment by Proud Sucker Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 5:49 pm
stay on to see what friends are saying. also I’m the kind of person who prefers to stay in and try to help in some way make things better.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 5:55 pm
Shucks. I can barely navigate the google button and now I have to tweet.

Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 6:36 pm
Haven’t left yet, still undecided but disturbed by the Washington Post article about China and Saudi big money investors getting access to personal information.

Comment by Former Merit Comp Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 9:32 pm
We are discussing the increase in the “N - word”. What if the increase was in Anti Semitic comments - would Musk change his policy? Lets ask Kanye..

Comment by One to the Dome Wednesday, Nov 2, 22 @ 10:29 pm
Not yet, but will do eventually. Most of the people I follow are still there, so old habits die hard. IMHO by the time his is done with Twitter it will nothing but far right nut jobs and a gate way for porn.

Comment by Annon3 Thursday, Nov 3, 22 @ 10:07 am

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