The End Of An Era?
Twitter could be at Death's door, so what's next?
The Elon Musk era of Twitter has been off to a bumpy start, and without getting into the entire timeline of how we wound up in this place, rumors are spreading quickly that Twitter will soon break under the strain of mass resignations from staff who won’t conform to Musk’s new work environment.
Many users on the platform are now sharing their first-ever tweet because, as Brad Pitt told Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in the end, you think about the beginning. #RIPTwitter is trending as stories of the site being left with no one to tend to it spread.
The prevailing belief is that, sometime soon, the site will cease to exist. Set on its current course and on a straight heading it will amble forward for now, but any curve in the road will result in disaster with no hands left to turn the wheel.
Now, as apocalyptic as all of that sounds, I have a hard time believing that such an incident would be a permanent end to the platform and the $44 billion Musk spent buying it, but it’s not a good sign for Twitter’s longevity, either.
Meanwhile, Musk doesn’t appear to be worried:
Musk should consider that the finale of most beloved sitcoms does massive numbers…Friends, MASH, Cheers, Seinfeld, etc. captivated the masses with their curtain calls. If people believe something is ending, they jump in to witness it. A spike in Twitter users at this moment is neither a surprise nor a reason for a victory lap, instead, it’s a signal that the fear of the platform’s demise is very real.
And for all its flaws1, the world needs Twitter.
I say this not just because I have a relatively large account there (in fact, many of you reading this may be here because of Twitter). It’s where I’ve spent most of my social media attention for years now, including the entirety of my professional sports media career. My own bias due to the time I’ve put into the platform can’t be separated from the situation, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong, either.
The real danger of Twitter’s demise is due to the integral role that it plays in the social media sphere. It’s not the largest platform; in fact, it’s far from it:
It is, however, the platform that is by far best suited for dispersing new information quickly and succinctly. As Tik Tok, Snap Chat and Instagram continue to dominate with younger users and YouTube rules the long-form video (and sets its eyes on challenging Tik Tok as well with Shorts), and Facebook continues to have the most total users, none of them possess the speed that Twitter offers.
Even Substack, which I’ve enjoyed branching out to, is clearly geared toward long-form content. It’s versatile enough to send out short information, and to Substack’s credit, the app (which I highly recommend) is lightning-quick, sending out notifications the second a post is live. Despite this, speed and quick, one-sentence content aren’t in the DNA of the site the way it is on Twitter.
It’s where Woj battles Shams to see who can break the latest NBA trade 10 seconds before the other, Schefter and Rappoport fill fantasy managers in on NFL injuries, we get notified about no-hitters in MLB, Golazos in soccer and everything else.
It’s also where people came to grieve for Kobe Bryant. It's where many discuss the rapidly-evolving stock market in real-time in the community called FinTwit. Betting also finds a natural home on Twitter, as lines adjust at lightning speed. Elections, world events, sports, natural disasters, you name it. In a world where we are constantly connected and react to changing information in an instant, Twitter provides a delivery system for breaking news that no other medium can match.
No other platform is currently prepared to pivot to fill that void, at least not one that is already widely in use2.
Twitter has its share of problems, to be sure, but the function it provides is a necessary one.3 Should it go dark, something else will rise up to fill the void, but what it will be is anyone’s guess, as is the amount of time it may take to rebuild all of the connections already made in the Twittersphere.
My plan should Twitter collapse in on itself is to post more here on the Lane’s Letters substack, just in a shorter format (another reason to subscribe) as well as focus more on my Instagram content and perhaps start a personal YT channel.
All the while, I’ll be watching to see what platforms will emerge to fill Twitter’s speedy shoes if it indeed comes to that.
Twitter may not live forever but the purpose it serves will go on.
My goodness is the verification system a mess now! As if there wasn’t enough of a problem with fake Woj-bombs, now these accounts can appear even more legit.
I set up an account on Mastodon upon recommendation from some Twitter users, but it hasn’t felt like a natural transition.
Spaces also needs to be mentioned. It’s an innovation that may not have started at Twitter but it feels so natural to the platform, allowing large groups to listen and connect in a new way.