Black people have built communities on Twitter that are unlike any other in the technological world. Those communities are not easily replicated elsewhere. An analogy is when people criticized New Orleanians who rebuilt in the city after the devastation of Katrina, even though it was palpably risky to do so. But none of the critics sufficiently explained how those people should transfer their social capital and communities to unfamiliar places that may not even want them. 1/2
Twitter, for many people, is not an addiction per se, any more than your desire to wake up, go out into your community, and see friendly faces who support you in a difficult world is an addiction. I understand why some people stay, move slowly, or keep a presence in both worlds. It’s not a character defect. 2/2
@mergerson
Thank you! I'm not sure why some feel compelled to pathologize or criticize things like this. It's just people talking in a less conventional way. We can instantly connect to people all over the world. It's a good thing imo.
@KotMinou