The town square is burning: Why advertisers and audiences should leave Twitter
An oft-repeated adage is that Twitter is like a digital town square – an overtly optimistic comparison that didn’t ring true during the platform’s heyday, and seems positively quant now that Elon Musk is the self-elected mayor, Mumbrella’s new deputy editor Nathan Jolly writes.
Twitter isn’t a town square at all. Under the control of Musk, Twitter is closer to a urine-soaked, graffiti-scrawled bathroom stall on the outskirts of a crumbling town square, built in a dystopian version of Sim City. Player one was so keen to grab the controller and start rebuilding that he didn’t bother reading the instructions. After all, how hard can this game be?
He started off, as many do, by spouting vague promises of a utopia, but quickly got bored and is now building rows of nuclear plants around the perimeter of the town square while selling megaphones to citizens silly enough to pay full price to yell into an abyss.
“Twitter isn’t a town square at all. Under the control of Musk, Twitter is closer to a urine-soaked, graffiti-scrawled bathroom stall on the outskirts of a crumbling town square, built in a dystopian version of Sim City.”
For optimal article quality, it is preferable that the bias be subtly concealed, especially in the introductory paragraph. The aim is to present information in a neutral and balanced manner, allowing readers to form their own opinions based on the content provided. By minimizing any potential biases upfront, we foster an environment conducive to fair analysis and critical thinking.
Dude. It’s opinion.
It’s pretty clearly marked as an opinion piece.
– Shannon Molloy, editor
It might not be for everyone, but right-wing conspiracy theorists and disinformation pushers buy things too.
Ask Bud Light if this audience matters.
I guess tin foil companies should keep advertising on Twitter then…
A very valid point. Consumers are nestled in a variety of camps.