What We Lost
Having a real-time source of information was incredible. Now it's irrevocably broken.
I discovered Twitter during the Green Movement in Iran. It was the first time I realized what a powerful tool Twitter could be to monitor a big event happening across the world in real-time. From there, I watched the Arab Spring unfold on Twitter. I was working at Reuters at the time and created my own timeline of the Arab Spring told through Tweets.
Time and again, for years and years after those two events, many more events were shared by people on the ground, in real time, to Twitter. As a person working in newsrooms, those signals from direct sources were so valuable. Of course, they could not be taken at face value, they needed to be vetted with follow up sourcing the way you would any other lead, but before the days of Twitter you rarely had such an abundance of potential first-hand leads and a listening device that could bring them to you in such an elegant way.
Twitter is now gone, and X has taken its place. I won’t get into all the reasons why here, that story has been told ad infinitum at this point. The important thing is that we lost an incredible listening tool to understand the world.
Most recently, Tony Elkins, a journalist in Asheville, was caught up in the destruction of Hurricane Helene. In the days of Twitter, he would have had the ability to get life-saving information through updates on the platform. This time, it was unusable. He writes:
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I used to be a heavy Twitter user. When I finally opened X, it was full of horrible artificial intelligence-generated images and conspiracy theories. I’ll probably never go back.
Instead, he turned to Reddit and Instagram. Slack has been a lifeline to stay connected to friends and co-workers. Above all, good old-fashioned radio has been the most important source of information, through Blue Ridge Public Media and 99.9 FM.
I miss having the ability to get such rich, direct information through Twitter, and wonder how you now get a similar stream of news from primary sources? Are you finding what you need on Reddit and Instagram, as Tony has? Are you finding it in new places? Have you gone back to TV and radio?
Let me know, at my email antderosa@gmail.com, I’d love to hear from you.
Dad, writer, cyclist, citizen, cereal dilettante. Earnest advocate for freedom of information, open governance, & digital democracy. Lover of the Oxford Comma, hater of hubris. Trying to move carefully & fix things.
2moTwitter still exists, my home feed & lists remain useful, unique sources of information, & the claim that we’ve lost that doesn’t feel sound at all. There’s more lying, anger, vitriol, & delusion, but it was no picnic before. Some communities have shifted elsewhere, like academics. Many have not, from media to politicians and officials, especially at the global level. I listen to them daily.
Operating Executive, Entrepreneur & Advisor in the Technology Industry
2moMeh. I use X and it’s still a great resource albeit different. It’s no longer a safe space for those who have a hard time with criticism from non progressives, and there’s a whole lot of misinformation coming in from various areas. And on top of this, the publisher has a myriad of editorials that come out on the hour which seem to rub a lot of people the wrong way… But, in its defense, there are a lot of new people on here and those progressives who haven’t left mostly can say what they want if they own it and can take the criticism and folks in the right get it as bad from everyone else. The “old” twitter especially coddled journalists (the verified label was pretty much given to anyone from a publication) and people from a specific world view — and that’s been upended. But there are still world leaders and captains of industry in here and there is no replacement for it. My advice to everyone is to get back on and join the party. The host has changed, the drinks are stronger and maybe you got kicked out of the VIP room. There’s a mosh pit full of assholes you might want to avoid, but it’s still unlike anything else that’s ever existed and you’ll make it better by your presence.
Supervising Attorney - Civil Rights @ Lawyers For Good Government with expertise in Policy Advocacy
2moSigh. Yup. Still grieving.
Expert fintech copywriter® | Crime fiction author | Never has bad hair days
2moI miss it. For all its faults, it was a great place to connect and I made lasting friendships. Now it's a cesspool of misinformation and hate.
Product & GTM Strategy & Ops | 20 under 40 Tech Influencer 2021 CPA Practice Advisor
2moI joined Twitter when I took over an Automotive Industry team. It unveiled a new way to learn about a variety of macro trends and company specific programs while connecting with key players and thought leaders. It wasn't about building my brand so much as immersing myself in content. Before the official launch of X but after the sale I was unsure of what my participation in the platform meant to me or signaled more broadly. My departure was born out of that lack of confidence and comfort. Working hybrid allows me to tune into the 24hr news channels on TV on breaks, but it is just a component of the ecosystem of blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and (other) social media to inform solid opinions. Long story short, its not about have A source bring me info, but having many sources to consciously tune into along the way. Not sure if we'll ever have that real time early Twitter sensation ever again.