People smarter than me are observing that the only way Elon Musk’s actions make any sense is if his game plan is to dismantle twitter. Then there’s how he probably means to court the right and China, which makes his “incompetence” look like something else altogether. Even if his massive ego and whack-job decisions were ONLy a distraction a week before what are arguably the most important elections of our lifetimes, that would be bad.
Twitter for me has mostly been a place to glean news. I read some of the linked articles, but mostly I’m looking for the summaries and opinions of the super-smart and well-informed. Former prosecutors (Andrew Weissman, Harry Litman, Joyce Vance), former FBI agents (Frank Figliuzzi), lots of Black commentators, Allison of MuellerSheWrote. I come to the news through their takes and in almost real time. It’s an absolutely perfect venue for someone with ADD.
Without the granular observations of some of these experts, I would have given up on trump ever being held accountable. So many have. But they haven’t and they know how to read the tea leaves better than I, so I haven’t. Do you know how critical this is to my mental health?
K. can’t understand why this loss upsets me so much. He’s not on twitter. But you know, it’s the West’s largest public square and many journalists, writers, medical professionals, and politicians have relied on its reach. And poof?
I see some are setting up alternate accounts on other apps. Mastodon seems popular. Right now it is beyond my capacity to set up an account there. Today I have to remember to archive my twitter account. That will task me enough.
I hate this. I just hate this.
And to be powerless to yet another narcissistic wealthy asshole? Really? I spend a fair amount of time considering how Musk’s brand of megalomania differs from trump’s. Mostly I notice that Musk tweets like an eighth grader — the one in the class that absolutely no one likes. Such a jerk. So sophomoric. Made all the worse by his obvious belief that he’s funny, incisive, and clever. NOT.
This is so distressing.
What a sound description of twitters death knell and musk’s nefariousness and greed.
Makes me glad I never got on Twitter in the first place 😉
You are spared.
I totally sympathize and agree. For me, it has helped to disengage from FB, Insta, and Twitter.
I hate this waiting. Will someone please come forward now and be a third solution?
For me (again, just me) It has been constantly annoying to disengage. Every five minutes I feel I have to check something, and maybe lately it is only every 3rd interval that I refuse to pick up my phone, turn off the tv. pick up a book. while I clean the house, grocery shop, work in my studio, edit video, rake the lawn, walk the dog…
But you seem capable of amazing multitasking, and I defer to you. How will you keep up with what seems to be the truth and the reality of the present state of the world? I think Twitter will die soon; a MegaDeath. Let me know what you decide to subscribe to?
It has been ok for me to disengage and do other things, many. other. things. much. more. slowly. This new pace throws off my productivity (tho’ really, I don’t need to produce much under pressure these days).
Yesterday (taking a break from I don’t know what), I happened on a holiday art exhibit. I actually bought a small grief-sculpture for $35 ($$ I should not spend) because this little work of art made me cry the minute I understood it, standing there in the gallery. I didn’t know I needed to cry. I think everyone should have one. They’ve made many variations, and all very powerful – it took me a while to decide which one to get. Imagine: a work of art that is useful like a bowl or a coffee mug, but, for grief. Fairly affordable grief counseling?
This is horrible propaganda we are dealing with – inflicted by evil insidious non-humans who refuse to learn from history and refuse to practice critical thinking – critically. AND, they are making gobs of money on everyone’s precipice of sanity – from a real lack of food and shelter to an imagined reality that is only digitally accessible. It is wrong. Peace is the only way forward, and yet peace is more and more elusive and expensive each day? help!
I’m not so productive. I spend too much time on SM (though rarely FB and less and less on Instagram). Waaay too much time! Somewhere tracking alongside this lament about twitter is a voice that asks: who would you be without social media? Sometimes I’d like it all to just fall away. Reacquaint myself with silence and telephone calls and tactile collage. The grief piece sounds amazing. Art doesn’t need to be useful but certainly anything that helps us with our grief IS useful. I miss seeing you on Instagram and Twitter, but I understand.
this might just be the Winter of Mass Discontent.
I have had to switch to Hallmark Movies and stopped watching news. It’s sort of mood balancing act. I know to do this when I start yelling at the tv.
You and me both. Though I haven’t started yet.
Me, too! Hallmark Movies have saved my sanity and calmed me down for the past 6 years. This is all too much, and I’m scared. I’m giving money that I don’t really have to states that I lost respect for long ago, to help with elections in which unbelievably crazy, ignorant candidates won in their primaries! I can’t stop saying aloud, “What’s wrong with people?”. Six years.
(I have to record the Hallmark Movies, so I don’t yell at the commercials with the yelling, drumming, loud music, and the happy dancing for unclogged kitchen sinks. Ha.)
I deleted my Twitter account as Chief Twit entered the building carrying his sink joke. He can’t play by others’ rules. He couldn’t handle laws in California; he will love Texas. And, GOP base. Yes, he’s crazy like a fox, but he’s impulsive and squirrelly. Scary.
I need a grief-sculpture or vessel. Hmm. A hand stitched one, maybe? Meditate on some feelies that I should deal with?
Love your blog!
I record the Hallmark movies too and truth be told last year I could rarely get more than twenty minutes in. Sometimes I skip the whole middle. I keep giving money too and writing postcards. I hope my little efforts make a difference. I hope what I’m reading about genZ exit polling is accurate. I hope women have registered in the big numbers I’m reading about and that they’re not republicans.
Never been on twitter, FB, Instagram…but I do read a lot of news and watch PBS news and the occasional regular news outlets, especially local…and I do talk back, and I do throw a pillow and when the great evil comes on the screen, since I control the remote when watching the news, I switch the channel at the speed of light… When it becomes too much, I go and dance because if I do not, the anger and fear would paralyze me…
Yesterday, my former neighbor, the hard working Mexican American father, who believed in the great evil, talked to me at our local grocery store. He still works as an Lvn in a nursing home but now has a second job working at our local Kroeger grocery, trying to make ends meet..He asked about the election, said he would vote for our Governor but nothing about 2024…he also said that working two jobs is hard…the economy was and is the most important factor for him. He was grateful for the $ 1,500 that all New Mexicans received from our state government so that is what is fueling his vote for the governor at this time BUT going forward…I’ll just keep talking to him whenever I see him and hold onto the changes that he is considering and hold onto his keeping asking me questions and opening himself to other considerations BUT…
The local newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal came out for the Republican candidate for Governor who is endorsed by the great evil. New Mexicans consider the economy, crime and abortion rights as critical issues. Education is also an important issue since New Mexico ranks last in education in the United States. Eroding democracy is also important but it depends on where you live; certainly in the “blue” counties it is a matter of concern, less so and probably not even considered as an issue in the”red” counties which is no surprise. I have been voting for 57 years but never have I seen such viscous political ads as I am witnessing here…
This past Thursday, President Biden came to New Mexico to stump for our Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.. Earlier, Vice President Harris was here. Our state, New Mexico, with many women holding office and the first Native American Secretary of the Interior is a proud blue state and so far,all of my Democratic candidates are still ahead, including our governor, but not by much and that causes me to up my dancing…
I’m glad you’re talking to neighbors. I’m glad you’re dancing! It’s unfortunate that people don’t get that the GOP has NO plan to improve the economy. None whatsoever. Also, will we all care so much about the price of gas if we no longer have elections in this country?
Watching news requires a remote anymore. There’s so much I can’t stand to watch. Also (again about twitter), if I get to the four o’clock hour and am watching a story I’ve been reading about all day on twitter, it makes sense to blow through some.
When you say: ” to be powerless to yet another narcissistic wealthy asshole”…this is it. I would add to be powerless against those that follow them like they are a dog in heat. The smaller assholes, the lesser narcissistic ones who shatter my daily personal life in ways I can’t piece back together. They are all a disease, many variants morphed from the sickest hosts of them all.
Layer after layer…it is too much.
When J. suggested “idiot” for our nightly co-WORDLE fun, I said if you only knew how often I lamented using just that word alone. One word that spews so much for me.
I agree with everyone here before me, but will also add that I come to you for your deep research skills (time) on matters of IMPORTANCE. You have the ability to make an even clearer, smaller nutshell of it all that my brain (and time) very much appreciates. I bet you didn’t know that…how much I lean into this part of you (along with the other parts of you, of course!).
Now what shall we do? What shall I do? Well, today we go vote, in person as always, for what else CAN we do? sigh
I did NOT know that about what I offer here and it matters a great deal to me to hear it. I think people who work full time often lose sight of how utterly consuming that is — you included. And yet you still find time to be one of the most generous people I know here.
PS Would love to see that ” small grief-sculpture”!!
Me too. Maybe I’ll ask Maggie to send me a pic.
Yes, please!
I’ve spent more time on Twitter than anywhere else in the last six months. You are one of the few people there that I know. (Blog friends know each other.) Like you, I discovered great journalism there and soon realized its value for breaking news. I started out following a few of my favorite comedians and it morphed into something surprisingly important. I keep up with UK news there also. I rarely post anything, but retweet. Now I have set up an account on Mastodon after seeing several of my favorite journalists and historians move there but I can’t find them. Very frustrating.
Yes I’ve seen you there and it’s been super nice to recognize a blog friend in general and you, specifically. Twitter has a very different feel. More anonymous in my case. But I spend more time there than on other platforms. I’m considering mastadon too. Which silo did you pick?
I think we all have so much grief these days 🙁
Yes. And check your email!
Such a great conversation .. I feel like I say it over and over again how much I learn coming here. For instance all I ever really knew about twitter was that Awful used it a lot. A-LOT!! I’m sorry that you’re feeling sad over what is happening there .. I know it’s more than just twitter. We’re all feeling it .. like Marti said this is election has just been so nasty. We’re all on edge with all candidates running such a close race. Georgia is already bracing for another runoff. Anyway thank you all for everything you bring to this group…
I suppose we won’t know for days after Election Day. I hope it’s not weeks. Fingers crossed.
My daughter voted. She voted in the last election for the first time. I begged. But this year she went and did it on her own. That says something about what is happening.
You love to hear it.