“Never tweet.”
Sometimes the insanity on Twitter makes my brain hurt. Sometimes the hatred makes my heart ache. But I almost never think about leaving. Until now.
Farhad Manjoo published an NYT column on Wednesday titled “Never Tweet.” He said “it’s time we journalists all considered disengaging from the daily rhythms of Twitter, the world’s most damaging social network. You don’t have to quit totally — that’s impossible in today’s news business. Instead, post less, lurk more.”
A longtime tech exec sent the link to me and said Manjoo is right. “You guys are the lifeblood of Twitter right now,” they said. “A huge part of Twitter’s current value is journalists creating content for the site.”
I’ve known this person for years. They don’t have an ax to grind against Twitter, they just want journalists to think critically about what Twitter does to news coverage and the civic conversation. I asked: Do you think we should go on a Twitter strike? Maybe, they said — or at least take a hard look at the value exchange that’s going on.
I used to think the transparency of Twitter helped improve trust in media. I think that’s true around the edges. But I’m leaning toward the Silicon Valley exec’s view that the incessant tweeting undermines trust. “You guys are down in the mud with the bots and the bad faith actors,” the tech exec said.
That’s definitely true. The more time someone spends on Twitter, the more likely their view of the world is distorted by all the shouting. And the more likely they start shouting too. Being on Twitter contributes to a sense that the thing being shouted about is hugely important and being discussed by THE WHOLE WORLD when in fact it’s being discussed solely by people who are Extremely Online. The Covington Catholic controversy is just the most recent example.
I’m not saying everyone should delete their accounts. I’m definitely not saying newsroom bosses should stop reporters from tweeting. I love Twitter and I know that both my personal and professional lives have benefited from it. (I met my wife on Twitter!) But the site has changed. It is now, as Manjoo said, “the epicenter of a nonstop information war, an almost comically undermanaged gladiatorial arena where activists and disinformation artists and politicians and marketers gather to target and influence the wider media world.” This is a big problem. It requires a big change.
BTW: Rob McLean, who edited this letter, read this item and replied: “FWIW, I deleted my Twitter account last fall. I couldn’t take it anymore!”
