No, you’re not leaving Da Twittah
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Da Twittah morphs
Yes, you might be upset with the current owner of Da Twittah. Still, you’re not leaving. For starters, here’s three reasons why.
News and Sports
Your local news, sports, and weather people aren’t leaving. They’re used to it, they’re busy and aren’t interested in New Things. Well, some of them took well to TikTok, but that’s fun stuff. Television and radio stations tweet stories, sports scores, etc. Two anecdotal examples from here in New Orleans.
Ms. Margaret Orr, Chief Meteorologist at WDSU-TV, is a prolific tweeter. She’s quite popular here, and engages followers. When you’ve got a fan base, it’s hard to up and say, I’m heading to an alternative platform. Her colleagues work to build up personal followings as well. Devon Lucie from WDSU, for example, loves to share “National <insert foodie topic> Day” stuff. It’s fun. I’m hooked. Oh, and the entire staff, as well as the weather folks from other stations keep us abreast of rain, flooding, tropical, and tornado events.
For sports, fans of the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t leaving Da Twittah in a huff. The team’s social media team, knows that and posts fantastic stuff. We’re talking NBA here, so there’s overlap with “Black Twitter.” That subset of users is a story in itself, but it’s not going anywhere, either. It also looks like Crescent City Sports isn’t going anywhere, and they’re a great resource for local sports coverage, from professional to playground.
Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless tweets about Damar Hamlin, 2-Jan-2023
During last night’s Monday Night NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Cinncinati Bengals, Bills Safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. As of this writing, Hamlin remains in critical condition. He had a heart attack. As viewers sat in shock, many took to Twitter. FS1 personality Skip Bayless joined them, and, well, made a very intemperate tweet.
While it’s no surprise that Bayless chose to be a jackass in the face of a horrid situation, it’s also no surprise that he was dragged across the country. That’s the point. So long as there’s a terrible person like Skip on Da Twittah, people will stick around to make fun of him.
Other Fandoms
Just like the aforementioned Black Twitter, groups sharing common interests aren’t leaving. NFL fans, soccer fans, you name it, they’re not going. Swifties aren’t bailing for the federated platforms. The only real exception to this are angry political types who can’t stand Musk.
Why the Mastodon growth?
Advocates of Mastodon and, to a lesser extent Post Social like to point out the grown in both platforms. Yes, they’re gaining membership, but the “good stuff” hasn’t left Twitter. Users recognize that Musk is a hot mess. They prepare fall-back positions. It’s a solid move, particularly for journalists and others who rely on social media to promote their careers. For now, though, those are fall-back positions. We’ll see if they’re actually necessary over time.
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