Deleting X

Today, I finally deleted my old Twitter account, or what we know today as X. I am late in deleting my account, but at the same time I am early.

​​Before the take over

I have been on and off again with Twitter for years. I was on it early, since probably 2008 and used different accounts over time. My current account, which uses my standard online username, I have been using since 2018. It is probably since then that I really wanted to use it on a regular basis. But the fact is, I would be on it for so many weeks or months, and then I would go silent again.

There was a few issues at play here, but I think one of the biggest issues was culture. You might be mistaken in thinking that X only became shit once it became X; after the take over. But there have been shitty people on the platform for a while now, and I have found that moderation provided by Twitter and more broadly the social networking giants, leave a lot to be desired. The transphobia, xenophobia and so on are not a new thing to the platform, it has always been there. But to be fair, Twitter at times did fully shut down accounts, particularly the more prominent accounts.

Regardless, I continued using when I had the urge. Even partaking in online live debates during televised panels in Australia like the ABC’s Q+A using the hashtag #qanda

Musk taking over

In 2022, Elon Musk started purchasing shares in Twitter. A lot of shares. I remember there was speculation at the time he was going to take over, I am pretty sure his language online was that he was planning on making changes. While the board took steps to prevent a take over, ultimately he took over the company.

He told his followers online that he planned to introduce new features, tackle spambots, and promote free speech. The free speech part is probably the really important part in all of this. There was a notion, that free speech was being impeded on because moderation had resulted in the removal of content, or even the banning of some individuals. It is the very typical story of how people don’t fully understand that there always has been limits to free speech. In the “town square” which Musk has likened Twitter to, has always been a place where there are limits to what you can say openly and get away with no repercussions.

After the take over

Once the take over had completed, Musk moved in quite quickly. If you were following the news during that time, you probably remember Musk carrying in a bathroom sink into the headquarters. For the citizens (and outcasts) of Twitter, there were a range of feels. Plenty of people felt unsure and concerned due Musk stepping in, but plenty of people were also celebrating it. There would be a range of reasons why people were feeling this way, but we can really put it down to Musk changing the way Twitter would be going forward.