I don’t like Elon Musk. I don’t like his cars, his politics, and his “I’m rich, so I can do whatever the hell I want” attitude. But I’m staying on Twitter. I refuse to run away or get pushed out because of who I am and what I believe. I feel the same way about America.
Was I surprised that a few days after he bought Twitter, he tweeted (and later deleted) an unfounded homophobic conspiracy theory about the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband? Or that racist tweets are on the rise? No. Nor will I be surprised if he brings back Donald Trump and has some grand Twitter Live event with Ye, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Alex Jones. They’re the grade-school bullies who never grew up. But as I learned when I faced a bully in high school, you must stand up against them. You can’t let them push you around. I’m building connections with other authors and readers on Twitter. I’m not giving it up because some billionaire needs his ego stroked.
That’s the way I feel about living in America. I’ve always dealt with people who hate me for who I am or say I’ll go to hell because of what I believe. Screw them. I have a right to live and express myself. So do Black people, Hispanic people, Asian people, LGBTQ+ people, and everyone else in this country. So do Elon Musk and their ilk. As long as they don’t hurt other people and let them live their lives, we’re good.
Societies of all faiths and philosophies have been governed by the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” If that were on the top of the Terms and Conditions of social media companies, we’d all be better off.
Ultimately, the success or failure of these companies depends on how their end users—who are their bread and butter—are treated on their platforms. Just as no one wants to drive a shoddy car with poor build quality, mechanical failures, and a lack of customer service, advertisers and members will leave a social media platform that has become a cesspool. The tech world is littered with failures. If Twitter fails, well, better companies have closed shop before.
But as long as I can continue to make connections with authors and readers and share positive, creative content, I’m staying on Twitter.
[…] had plenty of examples of people who made bad choices and suffered the consequences. If you buy a social media network to stroke your ego and share your bad takes on issues, don’t be surprised when your net worth […]