This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Arianna Nahim. Find her on Instagram at @ariannanahim. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
For so long, my favorite part of the day was turning my fairy lights on, putting my music on and scrolling on twitter. It was a great way to unwind. Listening to my favorite songs and scrolling past funny jokes and videos was always the perfect way to end my days. It was different from Tik-Tok where I felt bombarded with opinions and over wokness. “Twitter” was the perfect medium for me, someone who just wanted well thought out jokes and vapid opinions on her favorite shows and celebrities. But today, that’s not what “Twitter” looks like.
Bring Bought Out
As most of us know, Elon Musk has purchased “Twitter,” and renamed it X. And if you weren’t aware of this new remodel and regime, where have you been? Well, if you didn’t know, now you do. And you may be thinking, why did this robot disguised as a man want this app? He claims to have purchased the company in an effort to secure a space for free speech. No, but seriously, he really is running the app into the ground. Since society has been forced into his dictatorship half the data scientists were laid off and rules like no hate speech or misinformation were lifted. By laying off these employees he basically got rid of the people responsible for why the apps content was so well received and popular to users.
The algorithm has completely changed. What use to be a place to occasionally have to turn your brain on, the app now runs on the goal of absolute attention and reaction. And that’s not surprising, because popular culture has moved towards a very attention based economy. This is one that relies on things like fear mongering and rage bait as currency. If you need a clearer picture of what I’m talking about, don’t worry I’ve got examples in mind.
Examples
The first example I am choosing to share is one that I think is just very blatantly racist. This is a tweet that came up on my timeline, and that’s part of what I consider the problem. Ever since the rebranding of “Twitter,” user experience has declined drastically. Instead of what could be a moment to celebrate diversity it was ruined by hate and negativity towards another culture. When I see content like this I wonder if the app is even trying to gear desirable content for me, or if it is just looking to push a certain agenda. I say this because the content that is now being pushed is very aligned with Musk’s personal views. For example, this post that was on my timeline before, despite the fact that I do not interact with content or views like this.
Additionally, Musk is a known Trump supporter, which as mentioned before makes his true intentions for buying the app suspicious. Is this really to protect freedom of speech or give a bigger platform to the side of politics he favors? Of course people are allowed to have their opinions, but it is dangerous to give such a wide platform to a group that breeds such hate. Especially a group that feeds off of attention from disrespecting marganilized groups in this country. The effects of this danger have already been seen.
The Real Life Dangers
A rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH are reportedly stealing domesticated pets like cats and/or dogs and eating them. This rumor was then sparked and ignited by a fake AI image that circulated around “Twitter,” and was eventually reposted by none other than former president Donald Trump. This has caused a whole community on “Twitter,” to use this as an excuse to spread racism and further stereotypes. What’s more, is that this negativity has made its way into US politics, even being brought up by Trump during the 2024 Presidential Debate. You can read more about the situation by clicking this link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13837875/Pets-Trump-AI-memes-explode-social-media.html
Over Wokeness?
However, this is not an isolated issue coming from one side of the political spectrum. Even when it comes to things that are just for fun like the art of drag has found itself in hot water on the app. When a drag queen was recorded dragging as Chappel Roan with red wine spilling out, they were accused of misogyny and making fun of menstrual cycles. What many who were angry failed to realize was that the Chappel Roan has a song called, “Red Wine Supernova!” Additionally, drag is an art form that has jokes meant to push the envelope and not be taken to seriously. However, the trend of negativity has become like a virus, spreading its infection everywhere and ruining something like, “wokeness,” which was originally made to stand up for those who need it and gain societal awareness and sensitivity.
The absolute negativity that has festered and made its way onto “Twitter,” is not only disappointing, but scary. If this type of negativity has made its way to one of the biggest platforms in the world, and caused some to forget the plot, and others to spew their hatred under the protection of Elon Musk’s ownership, then what does this mean for the future of social media?
Do you see a shift towards more negativity on Twitter? Why is Twitter so toxic? Tell us your thoughts and opinions below.
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