I’ve Joined the Musk Era Twitter — Here’s What It’s Like

November 10, 2022

Dayna Fischer, MS

I have been following the Elon Musk Twitter acquisition since last April, and I’m curious. I am not new to Twitter. I have been active on the platform before, especially during Omicron last fall and winter. I don’t know what the platform will be like under Musk’s leadership. So far, he has laid off half of the employees, and has since asked some of them to come back. He suspended the accounts of comedians like Kathy Griffin and Sarah Silverman for impersonating him. Which, to be fair, is against the Twitter user guidelines. He is proposing to change the platform to be a subscription model. For lack of a better term, the current state of the company is a shit show. But, if you want to join the circus or already did, follow me @i_amdayna.

In the three days that I have been back, my initial thought was that the atmosphere felt much, well, nicer. I still follow and talk about health care, public health, and international aid issues. However, I don’t feel posting anxiety like before. It could be partly because of location, I am no longer posting from the pressure cooker of Midtown Manhattan. I also have experience being on the platform and I know the trends.

What I like about Twitter is that unlike other social media platforms, there can be some really good discourse. It is a whole different world than other channels. Although usership is far less than TikTok and Instagram, I find that there can be an exchange of good ideas rather than just spreading information or content. When used correctly, it can be a channel to move the needle on important issues.

If Musk truly wants to create the online world that he envisions, removing violent speech and misinformation will be where he will focus his efforts. My hope is to see the platform stay true to what it was originally created for, a place for free speech, conversation, and good natured banter, but with much tighter security on the bad players. There were far too many.

In good health. MT