What Is Lost When Twitter Is Lost? Reflections on the Impending Death of a Platform
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Keynote presented at ANZCA 2023, Wellington, 23 Nov. 2023.
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What Is Lost When Twitter Is Lost? Reflections on the Impending Death of a Platform
- 1. CRICOS No.00213J What Is Lost When Twitter Is Lost? Reflections on the Impending Death of a Platform Axel Bruns Australian Laureate Fellow Digital Media Research Centre Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia a.bruns@qut.edu.au @snurb_dot_info | @snurb@aoir.social | @snurb.bsky.social
- 3. Ka mua, ka muri Walking backwards into the future Image: Midjourney
- 4. CRICOS No.00213J What was Twitter? Why did it fail? What did Musk do? What have we lost? What now? Overview Image: Midjourney
- 5. CRICOS No.00213J What Was Twitter?
- 6. CRICOS No.00213J • A niche platform of outsized importance • Launched 2006 • Tech community uptake: SXSW 2007 • Phatic connection • Community networking • Co-development with userbase • Breakthrough 2009 (in the US) What Was Twitter? https://nyupress.org/9781479811069/twitter/ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016/pi_2016-11-11_social-media-update_0-01/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackdorsey/182613360 https://www.wired.com/2007/03/twitter-is-ruling-sxsw/ http://pearanalytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Twitter-Study-August-2009.pdf https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2008/how-replies-work-on-twitter-and-how-they-might https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/technology/internet/18oprah.html https://snurb.info/node/2219
- 7. CRICOS No.00213J • Crisis uses and journalistic uptake • Hashtags for rapid coordination • 2010 Hudson River emergency landing • 2011 natural disasters • 2011 Arab Spring protests What Was Twitter? https://twitter.com/chrismessina/status/223115412 https://www.sjpiatek.com/research/sandiegofire-the-first-successful-hashtag/ https://twitpic.com/135xa https://eprints.qut.edu.au/48241/ https://snurb.info/node/1568 https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/1246/613 https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2021/the-arab-spring-retweeted-10-years/index.html
- 8. CRICOS No.00213J Twitter and the News Image: Midjourney
- 9. CRICOS No.00213J • Twitter and the news • Gatewatching and news curation • Crowdsourcing voices to prominence • A first draft of the present • Twitter and journalism • Enthusiasm and reluctance • Breakthrough moments • Formal embrace Twitter for News and Journalism https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/23/3890674/tweeting-the-news-andy-carvin-test-pilots-twitter-journalism https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1940161212474472 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2908131.2908174 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/opinion/politicians-journalists-using-social-media-obscure-real-issues/news-story/877417373bf26960324d781d8d4b258c https://mediashift.org/2010/03/the-spill-effect-twitter-hashtag-upends-australian-political-journalism061/ https://www.prweek.com/article/1271650/nyt-hires-social-media-editor Twitter is the worst. I would call it little more than a leftwing echo chamber for various highly politicised activists, including many journalists. This is not surprising since it was actually invented as a way for pop stars to talk to their fans rather than to discuss serious issues. […] Twitter, a medium with a maximum of 140 characters, is not conducive to logical thought, deep research, reflection or independence of thought. It is really a place where activists cheer each other on, often in the foulest language or with the most naive affirmations of clearly partisan positions. (Chris Mitchell, The Australian 8 Aug. 2016)
- 10. Twitter for Community Image: Midjourney
- 11. The Australian Twittersphere, 2016 4m known Australian accounts Network of follower connections Filtered for degree ≥1000 255k nodes (6.4%), 61m edges Edges not shown in graph (From Bruns, Moon, Münch, and Sadkowsky, 2017.)
- 12. Teen Culture Aspirational Sports Netizens Arts & Culture Politics Television Fashion Popular Music Food & Drinks Agriculture Activism Porn Education Cycling News & Generic Hard Right Progressive South Australia Celebrities Horse Racing 4m known Australian accounts Network of follower connections Filtered for degree ≥1000 255k nodes (6.4%), 61m edges Edges not shown in graph
- 13. CRICOS No.00213J • News? Community? Sociality? Fun? Yes! • What made Twitter so versatile? • Flat structure: non-reciprocal following • Public by default: <5% private accounts • Hashtags for rapid connection • Retweets for broad dissemination • (also picked up by trending topics) flat, broad, global weak-tie network with major information flows to others Twitter’s Many Purposes https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1772690.1772751 — https://defector.com/burning-down-the-house — https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/nor-2019-0011 (Wed. 22 Mar. 2017) — https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/arts/design/elements-of-style-as-occupy-movement-evolves.html https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sciencefriction/the-whisper-network:-metoo-and-sexual-harassment-in-science/10244242 https://marketing.twitter.com/en/insights/twitter-conversation-report-black-lives-matter https://twitter.com/bigfudge212121/status/1259317174776115201 — https://eprints.qut.edu.au/66324/
- 14. CRICOS No.00213J Why Did It Fail?
- 15. CRICOS No.00213J • Early embrace of community ideas • Search, hashtags, … • Flourishing third-party development • Powerful APIs, third-party clients • Odd and ill-considered decisions • API changes and shutdowns • Change of ‘starring’ to ‘liking’… • … but never an ‘edit’ button Working with and against the Community https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/09/how-chris-messina-got-twitter-to-use-the-hashtag.html https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2008/how-replies-work-on-twitter-and-how-they-might https://twapperkeeper.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/announcing-yourtwapperkeeper-archive-your-own-tweets-on-your-own-server/ https://www.computerworld.com/article/2712336/the-death-of-the-twitter-api-or-a-new-beginning-.html https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/03/tweetdeck-2008-2013/317756/ https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-apologizes-173627475.html https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/03/twitter-replacing-favourites-with-likes-does-anyone-heart https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexkantrowitz/jack-dorsey-says-twitter-needs-an-edit-function
- 16. CRICOS No.00213J • Libertarian misconceptions of ‘free speech’ • Muted responses to mis/disinformation • Bothsidesism rather than targeted action • Arrangements with autocratic regimes • Frustrating communal blocklist efforts • Naked pursuit of engagement metrics • Mishandling of researcher relationships • Or outright dismissal of scholarship • Late rethink (driven by DSA?) Slow Responses to External Challenges https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/5/16855900/twitter-donald-trump-ban-explanation — https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-executives-were-hesitant-ban-trump-after-jan-6-report-2023-6 https://twitter.com/jack/status/1602800290876588032 — https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/technology/twitter-political-ads-ban.html https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/turkey-twitter-mahir-zeynalov-1.3783815 — https://news.yahoo.com/why-twitter-blocked-accounts-linked-184754492.html https://slate.com/technology/2014/08/twitter-harassment-user-created-apps-block-together-flaminga-and-the-block-bot-crack-down-on-twitter-abuse.html https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/30/twitter-turns-to-academics-to-improve-conversational-health-on-the-platform/ — https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/threatened-scholars-online- harassment-risks-academic-freedom — https://developer.twitter.com/en/blog/product-news/2021/enabling-the-future-of-academic-research-with-the-twitter-api
- 17. CRICOS No.00213J • 2006: Jack Dorsey as founding CEO • 2008: Ev Williams becomes CEO • 2010: Dick Costolo becomes CEO • Many acquisitions and side product launches (Vine, Gnip, Periscope, …) • 2013: Twitter shares launched on NYSE • 2015: Jack Dorsey returns as CEO • 2022: Elon Musk becomes CEO • 2023: Linda Yaccarino becomes CEO Inconsistent, Erratic Management https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackdorsey/182613360 — https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/technology/internet/18oprah.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/technology/dick-costolo-twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey.html https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexkantrowitz/jack-dorsey-says-twitter-needs-an-edit-function https://uk.news.yahoo.com/twitter-boss-faces-backlash-grim-daily-ritual-tech-ceos-compare-122645907.html — https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/jack-dorsey-testify-twitter-congress-annoyed.html https://twitter.com/jack/status/1518772756069773313 — https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/meet-linda-yaccarino-elon-musks-new-twitter-ceo-and-the-ad-worlds-velvet-hammer/news-story/b4fd0938449af6b5fb8685913312471d
- 20. CRICOS No.00213J What Did Musk Do?
- 21. CRICOS No.00213J • Chaos and destruction • Mass layoffs • Attacks on staff fighting abuse and hate • Confusion around paid ‘blue tick’ users • Replatforming of banned accounts • Active promotion of disinformation • Ad revenue sharing with conspiracists • Suspension of critics’ accounts • API shutdowns • Juvenile responses to media • Lack of engagement with regulators Twitter under Musk https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/elon-musk-twitter-visit-sink — https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/12/13/twitter-files-elon-musk-qanon/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/opinion/trump-elon-musk-twitter.html — https://fortune.com/2022/11/11/no-free-insulin-eli-lilly-casualty-of-elon-musk-twitter-blue-verification-mess/ https://deadline.com/2023/07/twitter-revenue-sharing-program-pays-far-right-influencers-elon-musk-1235438248/ — https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/elon-musk-twitter-ban-censorship-17680044.php https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/31/23739084/twitter-elon-musk-api-policy-chilling-academic-research — https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1637420728743088130 — https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/10/elon-musk- warned-about-misinformation-violent-content-on-x-by-eu.html — https://gizmodo.com/these-accounts-control-twitters-israel-hamas-news-1850946257 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/16/x-fined-610500-in-australia-first-for-failing-to-crack-down-on-child-sexual-abuse-material
- 22. CRICOS No.00213J • Not for the money • US$44b acquisition price • Odd coalition of financial backers • Severe decline in advertising revenue • Collapse of company value: $4bn? • Not for the status (?) • Destruction of Musk’s public image • Increasingly erratic public appearances • Flow-on effects for Tesla and SpaceX Why Does He Do It? https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/24/elon-musk-twitter-funders/ — https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/12/20/elon-musk-spotted-world-cup-final/ https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66217641 — https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/may/31/twitters-value-down-two-thirds-since-musk-takeover-says-investor https://fortune.com/2023/09/06/elon-musk-x-what-is-twitter-worth/ — https://futurism.com/the-byte/jack-dorsey-alarmed-elon-musk-erratic-behavior-twitter https://www.forbes.com/sites/caterinabulgarella/2022/12/22/as-twitter-crumbles-under-musks-touch-questions-emerge-about-his-leadership-at-tesla-and-spacex/?sh=7601cf5e4339
- 24. CRICOS No.00213J • Just no. X, the ‘Everything App’? Image: Midjourney
- 25. CRICOS No.00213J What Have We Lost?
- 26. CRICOS No.00213J • What have we lost? • Instant access to reliable sources • Ambient news awareness • Live tracking of breaking news events • Access to journalists, politicians, experts • Ability for communal connective action • Ability to maintain phatic social ties • And we don’t even know just how bad it is Twitter in 2023 https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/06/26/mario-nawfal-russia-elon-musk-twitter/ https://www.journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/220 https://www.wired.com/story/x-israel-hamas-war-disinformation/ https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-and-linda-yaccarino-point-x-in-different-directions-amid-israel-hamas-war-250f29eb
- 27. CRICOS No.00213J • Reduced awareness and solidarity • How do we now track the next natural disaster, political crisis, or war? • How does the next #metoo or #blacklivesmatter organise itself? • How do ordinary people elsewhere in the world keep track of these events? • What are the effects for information flows in other networks and media? The Consequences https://twitter.com/HumansNoContext/status/1672593156150292484
- 28. CRICOS No.00213J (Walking backwards into the future?) What Now?
- 30. CRICOS No.00213J • Growth in new(ish) platform options • Telegram • WhatsApp • Gab • Parler • Mastodon • Bluesky (led by Jack Dorsey) • Threads (by Meta, not inside the EU) • TikTok text posts • … Fragmentation https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/parler-shut-down-new-owner-starboard-twitter-clone-conservatives-1235583709/ https://apnews.com/article/bluesky-twitter-jack-dorsey-elon-musk-invite-f2b4fb2fefd34f0149cec2d87857c766
- 31. CRICOS No.00213J • Partial migration of some communities • Early netizens Bluesky • Academics on Mastodon • Journalists on WhatsApp? • Or just ‘quiet quitting’ while they wait for a network effect to set in • New features – attractive and off-putting • Toots, skeets, boosts, … • Mastodon’s federated server system • Half-baked policy approaches Fragmentation https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/29/23701500/bluesky-twitter-replacement https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/12/journalism-realizes-the-replacement-for-twitter-is-not-a-new-twitter/ https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/12/01/academics-twitter-disperse-wake-musk-takeover https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03668-7 — https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-quiet-quit-elon-musks-twitter/ https://mastodon.social/@mollywoodpro/110333819524780256 — https://sea.mashable.com/apps-and-software/24466/the-solution-to-twitters-downfall-isnt-five-twitter-clones
- 32. CRICOS No.00213J • Is a federated model the answer? • Complex, but interoperable • No ‘great leader’ tech-bro CEOs (?) • Distributed control over moderation • Possibly inconsistent policy enforcement • Stability and resilience yet to be tested • Transparency to outside scrutiny? • How would regulation work here? • Confusing for ordinary users • Network effects still in force Federation? Consolidation? https://www.pcworld.com/article/1404826/how-mastodon-and-federated-services-are-putting-social-media-back-in-your-hands.html https://mashable.com/article/what-is-the-fediverse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet
- 34. CRICOS No.00213J • No social network without network effects • Long-term fluctuation between fragmentation and consolidation • Recentralisation to come soon(ish)? • Small-scale communities can be happy on small-scale platforms, … • … but those do not serve diverse and general interests a flat, broad, global weak-tie network is still needed in the platform mix Return to the Centre? https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/12/12/heres-a-detailed-look-at-the-history-of-social-media/
- 36. CRICOS No.00213J • Can we shape the next platform generation? • We: users, scholars, policy-makers • What might we want to see? • Safe, respectful, civil spaces • Better control over data and privacy • Transparency and scrutability • Meaningful, joyful public engagement • Quality content from trusted sources • Potential for prosocial connective action An Opportunity Images: Midjourney
- 37. CRICOS No.00213J Questions? Thank you! Image: Midjourney
- 38. CRICOS No.00213J Inputs to this were supported by the ARC Laureate Fellowship project Determining the Dynamics of Partisanship and Polarisation in Online Public Debate, ARC Future Fellowship project Understanding Intermedia Information Flows in the Australian Online Public Sphere, the ARC LIEF project TrISMA: Tracking Infrastructure for Social Media Analysis, and the ARC Discovery projects Journalism beyond the Crisis: Emerging Forms, Practices, and Uses and Evaluating the Challenge of 'Fake News' and Other Malinformation. Acknowledgments