Patrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022

It's been a week since I deleted the Twitter app from my phone and stepped away from that site and, honestly, I'd recommend everyone give that a try, just for the perspective that it gives you. I had left the door open to occasional participation, but I think I'm good to just leave.

🧵 Thread with some observations:

#Twitter #ElonMusk #ContentModeration #TrustAndSafety #CommunityManagement #Antisemitism #YoelRoth #CMGR #TwitterFiles

Show threadPatrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022
I have criticized Twitter often over the years, and they've had too many issues to count, but what I have realized is that the things that made Twitter good and worth sticking around for, those are the things that Elon Musk is eroding. To put it simply: Twitter stinks.
Show threadPatrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022
Twitter is now on a steady slide toward Gab, Parler, and Truth Social. When you're unbanning the creator of The Daily Stormer (the most prominent nazi publication online) and you're playing in QAnon antisemitic tropes about rescuing children, what's left? What separates this place from those places? The answer: Nothing.
Show threadPatrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022
Eventually, I think you'll be confronted with a question: If I don't see myself as someone who would join Gab, Parler, or Truth Social, why am I spending my time on Twitter? Are you fighting the bad guys? Or are you just spinning yourself in circles and keeping traffic up?
Show threadPatrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022
As Yoel Roth flees his home due to threats that are driven by Musk, community, moderation, trust, and safety professionals have to reckon with a simple truth: Musk would do the same thing to you, if he bought the thing you're working on. How does that inform your Twitter usage?
Show threadPatrick O'Keefe
Elon Musk's decisions so far have essentially been the antithesis of my life's work. I'd go so far as to say the antithesis of good community, moderation, trust, and safety work. We ground ourselves in empathy. His decisions are grounded in himself.
Dec 13, 2022 at 5:35pmWeb
Show threadPatrick O'KeefeDec 13, 2022
It's a big internet, with many destinations. Time is short. There are all sorts of communities and platforms where people care more than Twitter's current leadership. If it's not simply about the likes, you can probably find a more fulfilling way to spend your time. And that's what I am going to do.
Show threadMylesRydenDec 13, 2022
@patrickokeefe
You'll be glad to know then that his antics have halved the market cap of Tesla and he is no longer the world's richest man.