Big changes at Twitter? Of course there are. By now, everyone’s heard that the rumors about Elon Musk taking over Twitter are more than rumors. We’ve been hearing for months that Musk would take over Twitter. But how will those changes affect you? Here are a few guesses. By the way, I’ve written about Twitter and chaos before: How to Survive the Chaos of Twitter.
Your numbers will drop
Actually, this is already happening! As a social media manager, I see what’s happening on the ground every day. All but one of my clients (including me) have seen drops in their follower count. People are apparently leaving in droves. Or at least a few hundreds are splitting.
But then again…no
As people join or rejoin Twitter, your engagement and follower account will probably increase later. I’m guessing that will take a few weeks or months, though. For the time being, though, there’s a Tweetexodus!
Hate speech will increase
This is one I hope to be wrong about. But big names are leaving, especially liberals. LeBron James tweeted that “So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech.” Along with the hate speech, there will be some misinformation. And if 45 is allowed to rejoin, that will be amplified. Again, I hope I’m wrong.
Advertisers have a wait and see attitude
Big name advertisers are waiting to see which direction Twitter takes. Companies like GM are temporarily halting their ads.
The Blue Checkmark is one of the most recent Twitter changes
First, Musk mentioned a price of $20 for continuing to have the blue checkmark for verified accounts. After a lot of pushback, though, he seems to have settled on $8. People are still complaining, though. And is it really legit to have big name celebrities pay for a checkmark that they used to get for free?
Job Cuts
There are already a lot of job cuts at Twitter, including Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal. And a 50% cut is rumored to be in the works, according to Bloomberg’s article Five Things Elon Musk Wants to Change About Twitter Right Away.
Will Vine be revived?
This is another rumor, but having Vine could help Twitter compete with TikTok and Instagram reels. I’m guessing that if it isn’t Vine, there will be something similar to Vine. Vine is reportedly built on old 2016 code, so maybe starting something from scratch would be better.
Content moderation
This one is something I’m very distrustful of. Who is moderating the content? And who determines what constitutes hate speech? Musk wants the policy about topics like election outcomes and Covid-19 to be more specific, according to people familiar with the matter. But with the massive layoffs, how exactly will that happen? I’m not confident.
Can we separate Twitter the business from Musk?
According to the New York Times opinion, Elon Musk’s Biggest Problem on Twitter May Be Its Advertisers:
Should Mr. Musk choose to remain a participant and provocateur on Twitter, it’s likely the platform is headed deeper into the world of toxicity and partisanship. If that happens, Twitter is doomed, from the perspective of advertising revenue.
What do you think will be the biggest change at Twitter?
Are you waiting to see how everything shakes out? Or are you ready to bail? Let me know!
I stay in my corner on Twitter pretty much, Carol, and don’t click on any What’s Happening \Trending news if it serves no purpose for me. I try to manage my sanity online!
Hello Finola,
Sounds like you have very strong boundaries! There’s been a lot of noise this week, and probably more to come.
Thank you for the visit. Have a great weekend!
Carol
Carol, I’ve been scanning the stories as they appear. LeBron James is the most famous person I’ve seen who is leaving or is gone. Hmmm… Is he KingJames? I think he’s still tweeting! Anyhow, Obama, Oprah, Taylor Swift, and many others haven’t yet fled. I won’t be going anywhere unless my account is suspended or something happens to it. Ebb and flow…
Hi Terri, Is LeBron James leaving? He was still tweeting November 5th. Yes, he’s KingJames on his profile. I’m staying put for now, too, Terri, but keeping an eye on things. If the atmosphere becomes too hostile or intolerant, I’ll leave. And at least we’ll have each other to talk to!
Thanks for stopping by, Terri!
Carol