# Abandoning twitter good idea or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2024, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989 "2024-08-21T11:18:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/21 "2024-08-21T13:24:12Z")
No. It is not being a quitter. Social Media can be corrosive & self-destructive. Take a break. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/22 "2024-08-21T13:34:08Z")
I follow some comics, weatherpeople, that I don’t find elsewhere. But I have read things on there, believed them, came and posted it here and was told thats not true, you’re an idiot. Oops. I still read, but no longer believe. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/23 "2024-08-21T13:35:01Z")
I’ve had an account since 2008 and I’ve never made a post. I somehow have seven random followers. Until I got a Tesla a few months ago I barely ever even looked at it. Now I look to get the most up to date information on software updates for my car. Generally it’s a toxic nightmare. Not worth my time. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/24 "2024-08-21T14:17:33Z")
Are you worried about Truth Social and Parler? Those are already right-wing focused social media sites. X wasn’t until Musk took it over and now he’s super toxic himself. Just to go Threads or Blue Sky or something. I find it very odd to have loyalty to a social media site. ---
**Author:** ![Iori\_Yagami](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iori_yagami/32/17461_2.png) [@Iori\_Yagami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iori_Yagami)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/25 "2024-08-21T14:31:44Z")
I don’t have any loyalty to that site. I am just curious what is happening. Strategy wise, society wise. I mean, IRL people are influenced by what they read online. It is real - coworkers, relatives, just pals. I mean, if you go to youtube, all vids with say, trans people or social justice topics or basic science are full to the brim with ‘ewwww’ and ‘gr00mer’ type comments, hate comments, antiscientific denier BS comments, some primitive some quite elaborate and all insulting. And the number of views is typically low, 1-5K, etc. Yet, on anti-trans ones, they have like 100K -1M of views, gazillion of nodders, repeaters and praisers and the like. What is going on? Are all those bots? What impression on general populace does it leave? Can we really ignore it and say, ah, leave the trashcan alone, it will take itself out. Aren’t we risking to turn whole house into a garbage dump? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/26 "2024-08-21T14:47:02Z")
There are a lot of hateful people out there. What does that have to do with whether you should give uber-hater Elon Musk additional money by visiting his site? ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/27 "2024-08-21T14:57:18Z")
Nope, I never posted, and have zero ambition to be a digital star. I read online for entertainment, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Passing\_Through](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Just\_Passing\_Through](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Passing_Through)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/28 "2024-08-21T18:48:38Z")
What’s Twitter? _(I kid)_ Never had it, and don’t regret it. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/29 "2024-08-21T19:48:45Z")
> [@Just\_Passing\_Through](#): > > Never had it, and don’t regret it. Ditto times infinity. Social media doesn’t rule anything. People were stupid before social media came, and they will continue to be stupid after something else has taken its place. You can’t fight stupid online, and all they really want is for you to try. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/30 "2024-08-21T19:55:40Z")
Never had an account there, and increasingly, don’t want to ever click any links to that site. It feels distasteful, like clicking a link and landing on 4chan or InfoWars or something. I feel some pity for professional media people who don’t seem to have the option to fully check out, but you know, if a critical mass of them all decided to do so at once, the world would instantly become a better place. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/31 "2024-08-21T20:32:54Z")
I was a member eons ago, but rarely posted. When Musk took over, I deleted my profile and never looked back. Life’s too short and all that… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/32 "2024-08-21T22:12:12Z")
“Deplatforming” is what I call taking off my Disco Shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/33 "2024-08-21T22:14:28Z")
Somewhat ironically while I’ve never had it, I _was_ considering breaking down and getting it since it was being used to disseminate important information like details of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Then Musk took over and promptly set it on fire, filled it with radioactive sludge and drove it over a cliff. I lost interest at that point ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/34 "2024-08-22T16:28:29Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > There are a lot of hateful people out there. What does that have to do with whether you should give uber-hater Elon Musk additional money by visiting his site? This. When the sane people leave, the advertisers and the sensible content providers will too. Then all that’s left are as many people as love listening to Elmo spew. And all the expense will be Elmos. Which sounds ideal to me. The critical thing is to get _all_ the real content providers to abandon X. And, ref the poster just above, ordinary people in places like war zones or disaster areas to stop using X as the go-to place to cry for help or spread the news. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/35 "2024-08-22T16:34:15Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > I feel some pity for professional media people who don’t seem to have the option to fully check out, but you know, if a critical mass of them all decided to do so at once, the world would instantly become a better place. Well, the certainly do have an option. I cringe every time someone mentions we can follow them on twitter. (and tictoc and instragram, etc) Taylor Swift doesn’t need Twitter. Maybe it helped her get where she is, I don’t know. But she could stop today and still do fine. I don’t know who is on there, but I imagine everyone from Anderson Cooper to President Biden. I wish they’d all just stop. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/36 "2024-08-22T17:25:14Z")
They (media people) have the option, but it would be hard for most of them to quit. They’re trapped, unless, as I say, a critical mass all quit at once. If any one of them quit, they’d hamstring their own career. Yeah, a Taylor Swift might take a stand on principle – she’d cut her revenue a bit, but perhaps she’d get by, and she’d be encouraging her followers to quit as well. In my opinion no politician should be on Twitter at all, once they have been elected to office. It should be illegal, being public political communication that’s inaccessible to a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/37 "2024-08-22T18:02:11Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > In my opinion no politician should be on Twitter at all, once they have been elected to office. It should be illegal, being public political communication that’s inaccessible to a lot of people. In what way is it inaccessible? Is it ok if they post the same thing on X, Threads and their webpage simultaneously? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/38 "2024-08-22T20:00:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > In what way is it inaccessible? Is it ok if they post the same thing on X, Threads and their webpage simultaneously? Reliable internet access is still far from universal in this country, as is the ability to use a PC or smartphone, and that ability decreases as people get older. There are quite a few people who might choose to read Twitter (or a public official’s website, etc.) if they could, but can’t, because of age, location, and ability. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/39 "2024-08-22T20:03:36Z")
Then by your logic, no internet communication at all. This has nothing to do with X/Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989/40 "2024-08-22T20:26:04Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > They (media people) have the option, but it would be hard for most of them to quit. They’re trapped, unless, as I say, a critical mass all quit at once. If any one of them quit, they’d hamstring their own career. I’ve seen the argument that a large wave leaving effectively all at once is likely what you can expect, actually. I don’t recall the name for the phenomenon, but essentially, due to people already being there, there’s significant inertia to stay there even as it becomes worse because that’s where _other_ people are. But at some unpredictable point it will become bad enough that a threshold of reluctance is passed and people start leaving in a rapid cascade, the more who leave, the faster others leave in a self-reinforcing feedback loop. And once that happens the threshold is in the _other_ direction, and the barrier to luring people back will be as large as the one to getting them to leave. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoning-twitter-good-idea-or-not/1005989.md?page=3)