The summer of 2023 has been a crazy time in Social Media. Elon Musk took over Twitter, and at first, things seemed to be improving. At least in my case, the constant barrage of things I didn’t want on my timeline stopped, and I saw more of the things I subscribe to. Today, however, I’m writing this article to express my frustrations about what is happening over at Twitter.
My need for a platform
So. I’ve been a writer for some time, albeit I never took the initiative to become a marketer on top of it. Lately, that has been changing.
In order to have my word heard by as many people as possible, I’ll need to have Social Media. This is due, of course, to the fact that SoMe is king in today’s era. And while it took me some time, I finally realized this inevitable fact of marketing in this new millennia.
I’ve tried many a platform, yet none of them stood apart. Instagram is nice for my pixel art and the occasional life post. Linkedin I tried for the sake of translations, but that didn’t work out. I’m no serious businessman, but the content on LinkedIn started to resemble the unprofessional levels of cat videos anyway. So I let it go barren.
While I understand the hype and benefits of platforms like TikTok and YouTube, I’ve never been much of a video person. I dappled on YouTube for a while, making gaming videos with some friends. Let’s just say it wasn’t for me. (Though maybe I’ll put in a sneak peek here in the future. If I’m brave enough!)
And then, somewhere around 2022, I found my way back to Twitter. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, my feed was filled with self-harm, depression, and hateful propaganda. But I decided I’d manage it.
Eventually, I managed to steer the algorithm in another direction. I connected with various indie authors and shared my thoughts on writing and more. Things were great, and my growth was slow and steady.
Later on, in spring 2023, I figured I wanted to put an effort into growing myself on the platform. I set out to read and learn everything I could about Twitter and its secrets. In an effort to come up with a plan of action, I ravaged several books on the topic. I put said plan to play in the following summer.
My numbers started to grow faster, I reached my milestone of 1000 followers and soared past it. I chatted with many writers and read many books by them. Actually, I will keep doing that in the future as well!
But then. July 2023. Calamity hit Twitterverse.
It was a quiet afternoon, the indie authors of Twitter had gathered to showcase their work on the Internet. I too, took part in this extravaganza. After all, even without having a book out yet, I contribute my thoughts here on my blog.
Rate limit exceeded. Something went wrong. This request looks like it might be automated. Can’t follow more people right now.
The messages of an agonizing halt to my growth, plastered all over my screen!
For a while, I sat in Twitter Jail as an innocent. I understand the corporate must protect itself, yet I don’t know whether Musk would’ve done this eventually anyway. To be honest, it seems like a weasel’s ploy. I mean, verified people (those who pay) get 10 times more activity than us unverified plebians. What are we supposed to do with 600-1000 tweets?
I wasn’t able to Tweet, ReTweet, Follow, or anything else for a while. I became frustrated. And I’m not the only one.
Why?
According to multiple articles, including this one, all of the restrictions are in place to protect the platform. People aren’t able to browse the content without logging in, and Twitter has limited user interactions. Musk, however, tells us this will all be over eventually. The restrictions are temporary.
The limits for reads and interactions are growing at a steady pace, but I still wonder. What if he decides that we must now pay to be able to use the platform? Do I have to start looking at other alternatives, if this all goes down? After all, I will not be paying for the blue tick any time in the foreseeable future.
Data scraping, AIs like ChatGPT using the API to teach themselves. All of this goes way over my head, almost sounding like an excuse. Next to me, my husband is grinning a devious grin. He is a tech genius, after all. To me, this is more of a human issue. I suppose that’s my feminine side glowing through the curtain of sharks.
Where would I go?
The question of where to relocate keeps haunting my mind during this calamity. I’m a writer, so it would be natural for me to move somewhere written. Reddit, maybe? Yet I hear even Reddit has been censoring its users under the pressure of the woke mob. Offense shall not be tolerated unless it is directed at the ‘privileged’!
And me, I’m quite offensive with my traditional values, white skin, and binary biology. Where do creatures like me go in the future? Though I suppose, if there is enough demand, someone like my husband will create another platform eventually. Or maybe there are some already, I just haven’t found them yet.
In the meantime, I can only hope that Mr. Musk sees fit to return Twitter back on track. I’d hate to lose all the progress I’ve made since I started this journey!