Chris TrottierApr 5, 2023

Many people are asking, "Why are journalists staying on Twitter?"

The short answer: social status.

As much as certain journalists say that social status doesn't matter, it does matter.

The reason journalists were drawn to Twitter is because of that damned Blue Check.

Now I've always contended that the Blue Check is a terrible feature, and not something the Fediverse should emulate:

https://blog.atomicpoet.org/YdJMHV8ASc2E_loByi0vRQ#

Nevertheless, Blue Check status is why journalists still stay on Twitter.

Why the Blue Check is a terrible feature - HedgeDoc

Show threadChris Trottier

A few journalistic entities like @TexasObserver and @damemagazine have discovered that there's an audience for their work on the Fediverse.

And individual journalists like @jeffjarvis have become esteemed members of the community here.

But to most journalists, when they see the Fediverse, they see that no Blue Check status is given out -- which means they have to start from the bottom like everyone else.

They don't like that.

Apr 5, 2023 at 6:06pmWeb
Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

As for why journalists find Blue Check so compelling, think about it. What's the pull for modern journalism?

It's not pay, I can tell you that much. For many nowadays, journalism pays barely above subsistence wages.

But journalism still conveys a certain amount of respectability, especially with culture.

And Twitter's Blue Check gave journalists the same respectability as politicians and rock stars.

If Twitter deemed you "notable", you got a blue check.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

To be objective about Twitter is to acknowledge that it's quickly losing its cultural cachet.

What made the old Blue Check system so compelling is that no one could buy it. Twitter awarded it to you. It was an acknowledgement that you were important.

But if someone can buy the Blue Check, the Blue Check loses its value.

What's more, "legacy" Blue Checks are about to go away.

Journalists are about to lose their social status -- even if they pay.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

I suspect that once the legacy Blue Check goes away, there will be many journalists who will still do everything they can to keep Twitter relevant.

Yes, the stats are a lie, and "reach" should be taken with a grain of salt. Few people click to articles from Twitter. Elon Musk, himself, views journalists with contempt.

And yet, many journalists will continue to use Twitter because giving up perceived social status is scary.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

Personally, I believe journalism is still an important profession.

But I also think there's a big difference between investigative journalism that holds the rich and powerful to account, and bootlickers who will do anything for access to the rich and powerful.

More and more, Twitter is becoming the domain of bootlickers.

Nothing proves this more than the πŸ’© emoji that Twitter auto-replies to press inquiries.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

There will come a day -- probably not now -- where journalists will be *forced* to leave Twitter.

That is, if they want to maintain their social status.

Now I'm not a journalist. I'm just a tech worker who's viewing this farce from the outside.

There's not a day that goes by where I don't wonder what kind of indignities journalists will continue to suffer in order to keep Twitter a going concern.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

I will say this much, though.

Every day that journalists stay on Twitter and refuse to join the Fediverse is a day they're not impacting the ongoing development of the Fediverse.

Which is something I know that a whole lot of journalists will eventually regret.

Is it better to be a leader or a follower? When it comes to social media, few journalists are being leaders.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

Now I want to highlight a bunch of journalists who actually are being leaders in the domain of social media: @TexasObserver

The weren't just one of the first publications to join the Fediverse, but the first to start their own server too.

A few weeks ago, the organization was nearly shut down due to lack of funding.

But here again, they became innovators by using the Fediverse to crowdfund -- and thus save -- @TexasObserver.

In doing this, they may have validated a new model for funding!

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

Later today, I'm actually hosting a roundtable on Fediverse crowdfunding.

I've had this roundtable planned weeks in advance.

As a software dev, I've been thinking about further possibilities for baking crowdfunding into Fediverse platforms -- making it easier for organizations to fund their social media pursuits.

Then last week, @TexasObserver gave me my first case study for crowdfunding's potential.

Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023

As @TexasObserver demonstrates, crowdfunding could be a domain for journalists to validate through the Fediverse.

It could be a means of freeing them not only from Big Social, but also the private equity firms that have gutted local reporting for decades.

There's no reason journalists couldn't run their local state or town's Fediverse server (for example).

But again, you need a few more brave journalists willing to see the potential.

Show threadStegosaurusApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver Totally agree Chris. I'd like to journalists having their own dedicated severs, specialized to their needs. Steve
Show threadJeff C. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡¬πŸ‡±Apr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver As a fellow tech worker who works in the non-profit journalism space, I can say that having this baked into the ecosystem somehow would probably go far in getting certain newsrooms interested in the Fediverse.
Show threadBlake LeonardApr 5, 2023
@jeff @atomicpoet That's why so many of them are flocking to Post.
Show threadᴚ uɐᗑApr 5, 2023

@atomicpoet @TexasObserver What I absolutely love about Texas Observer is that they went all in and did their own instance.

It is time for ALL REPUTABLE INSTITUTIONS to do likewise. Their journalists gain the distinction of having an account on the instance - and it makes everything easier for everyone.

Blue check? PFFFT. Bish, cheeze. πŸ§€ πŸ§€ πŸ§€

Show threadCynthia Morse LintonApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet when you say crowdsourcing are you including features for people using Patreon? Because gosh wouldn’t it be nice to send my server support payment directly from here to my instance owner. @TexasObserver
Show threadJim KillockApr 6, 2023

@atomicpoet @TexasObserver On this thread:

(1) Blue checks are a small factor: the main problem is simply the built up networks of influence

(2) If other networks of influence emerge, then journalists will engage

(3) Social power and knowledge ports, even if whole networks cannot be moved intact; this will become more obvious to people over time

(3) The Fediverse cannot resist / remove, only ameliorate factors of power, so the sacrifice is never as large as all that

Show threadDAME MagazineApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet We'd love to listen in if it's going to be a public roundtable?
Show threadChris TrottierApr 5, 2023
@damemagazine Yes, it’s happening at 8PM PST/11PM EST. DM me your email address, and I’ll send you a calendar invite to the Jitsi meeting.
Show threadErnie SmithApr 5, 2023

@atomicpoet @TexasObserver Chris, there have been a lot of layoffs lately. I'm one of many, tbh. I love the fediverse and support its goals. I think your point is important.

We should leverage those layoffs to build some editorial entrepreneurship around these parts.

I was around in 2009 and 2010 on Twitter and remember how much breaking news really drove it. We need that wave around these parts.

Show threadNate GaylinnApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver What sets Mastodon apart is the focus on personal autonomy, and we should double down on that. Let's help content creators, social movements, and people in need connect and support each other financially.
Show threadNate GaylinnApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver Tastefully building crowd-funding tools into the app is also a good way to avoid traditional advertising in the feed. "Giving" can have its own place in the UI, so people know where to find it and can seek it out when they want to.
Show threadTrollApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet Please highlight the influential trolls on this platform next, Chris! The trolls on Twitter enjoy a much higher social status, and this can be a harsh, unforgiving place for us.
Show threadBadwolf303Apr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @troll5 πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
Show threadWilliam RobisonApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver I hope it is. The corporate ownership model of journalism is crashing. Specially when it comes to local news.
Show threadShoqApr 6, 2023
@atomicpoet Did they track the metrics of the crowd funding, to know where most of the donor prospects were funneled in from?
Show threadThe Febrile MuseApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet I think #MedMastodon #IDMastodon #Epidemiology #Microbiology #RxMastodon will also regret it. Much to build on here that IS sustainable. Much that can be done to provide good information, in anticipation of pandemics, outbreaks, etc.
Show threadMark Wyner Won’t Comply Apr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet that’s just shitty fascism.
Show threadserklarvelApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet each day I have less respect for #journalists who stay on #twitter
Show threadKingsley Uyi IdehenApr 5, 2023

@atomicpoet Like most things, I think they need to be told a story that helps them understand the virtues of a #Fediverse as opposed to a silo.

As you know, it's about a good story plus lots of repetition πŸ˜€

Show threadChristopherApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet Let's be honest, a lot of reporters working today, too, don't just get social capital from Twitter, but also the stories themselves. That social cachet has meant that Twitter has been a place to mine for events to cover.

That's going to go away, too, as Twitter's relevance further declines.

It would go away faster -- Twitter would decline faster -- if modern media hasn't made a habit of treating the Twitter platform itself as a story, but they have.
Show threadDAME MagazineApr 5, 2023

@atomicpoet @TexasObserver @jeffjarvis

Our ability to interact, learn and directly connect with both old and new readers here has been amazing and meaningful. It enriches the work we do. We can't wait to grow here.

Show threadJeff JarvisApr 5, 2023
@damemagazine @atomicpoet @TexasObserver
Now *that's* the attitude!
Show threadVulcanTourist [MOVED]Apr 5, 2023

@atomicpoet @TexasObserver @damemagazine @jeffjarvis

They're journalists for the wrong motivation, then. Journalists are supposed to be public servants with a non-public paycheck.

Show threadChristopherApr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet
Most people with some kind of social status -- whether it be across communities, or just within certain communities -- see the same thing. "Rebuilding" when you already have what you're looking for sounds like a bad investment.

They're being reactive rather than proactive, and for a lot of communities still there, they haven't found the changes a big enough burden or cost to react to.

I think they will, sooner or later. The hits will keep on coming. But for now, the work of relocating doesn't seem worth the risk of losing their place within the communities.

To me, it seems like the sensible thing to do would be to start building a home elsewhere even if you haven't abandoned the old one yet, but, then, I like contingency plans.
@TexasObserver @damemagazine @jeffjarvis
Show threadUnprecedented 2023Apr 5, 2023
@atomicpoet @TexasObserver @damemagazine @jeffjarvis 😊