Do I REALLY Need Twitter?

On May 2, 2022 my Twitter account got hacked. The hackers changed the email and password and Twitter wasn’t able to verify I’m the actual owner to give me back my account. In their last communication they said that I should start a new account if I want to use the platform.

At first, I felt anxious and upset. My blue checkmark account has been hacked! How will I get all my followers back? I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to reach my community, that I’d have to build it up all over again. I got a new account @CamiLeLoLai and haven’t followed anyone or tweeted anything because, to be honest, I’m not sure I want to be on Twitter again. 

After seeing my distress, my partner asked me: Why do you want a Twitter account? 

My first thoughts are that I want to share articles, updates about my company, witty thoughts, and social commentary. However, I think the better question is what’s the intention for sharing on Twitter? And here I got to a sad truth— it’s all about the clout. Twitter has always been a platform that I feel validated me as a public figure: a journalist, entrepreneur, and changemaker. But if I’m really honest with myself, I don’t feel that I’ve had a meaningful impact through the application itself. 

The most meaningful impact I’ve had in my life is through interpersonal relationships. 

When I focus on being present with my collaborators, clients, friends, and family—that’s when creativity flourishes and I can make a change. 

I got Twitter when I was a junior in college and I have always seen it as a live news feed. However in the past couple of years, I found Twitter to be a dysregulating platform where I got triggered without warning. I remember reading a thread last year that caused past trauma to resurface. What was supposed to be a time to get news updates turned into having to use all my tools to center myself. So I took a pause from social media in December of 2021 and decided to be more intentional when I came back. Yet, it has been so hard to actually create a concerted effort to be consistent and intentional. 

I’ve been thinking to myself that maybe this hack is a blessing in disguise. 

Instead of tweeting some witty banter, I started sending voice notes or messages to my friends which in turn creates deeper, more meaningful relationships with the people I love and I KNOW are hearing me. Instead of checking Twitter to get the news, I read newsletters or go straight to my favorite publications. 

Not to say that Twitter didn’t have its good moments. I connected with a lot of great people through the platform and learned about amazing reporters. I’m not trying to say that you or anyone should leave Twitter. However, I do invite you to ask yourself: what is the intention of using any social media platform?

For a while, I’ve been thinking that I want to use my LinkedIn account to be more open and vulnerable about my process of creating a healthier media ecosystem and society through entrepreneurship. I see questioning our content creation and consumption as an essential part of this process. Being healthy is not just about what we eat, it’s also about what information we are receiving. So next time you read an article or see a video, notice what effect it has on your body—is it expanding or constricting? Is it inspiring you to take action or making you anxious? 

And yes, I can see the irony of writing this for LinkedIn—but then again, I feel that this is the only social platform with a clear purpose. (And my account hasn't been hacked.)