Day 177 and #Twitter users are surprised that #ElonMusk’s decision to remove #bluecheck validation is causing chaos and the creation of impersonation accounts. That could never have been predicted?

#Decentralized #SocialMedia is the solution for exposure to willful and arbitrary behavior by egomaniacal billionaires

Anybody else perplexed this happened? 😜

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3963163-blue-check-chaos-twitter-policy-spurs-confusion-and-scramble-to-prove-authenticity

Blue check chaos: Twitter policy spurs confusion and scramble to prove authenticity

Twitter’s move to remove thousands of legacy verification check marks Thursday resulted in chaos as users were left scrambling to prove their authenticity in the face of fake impersonation accounts emerging. Twitter began to remove thousands of its iconic legacy verification check marks on Thursday, nearly three weeks after CEO Elon Musk initially planned to…

The Hill

/2 Day 179 some #Twitter users are attempting to sabotage the #ElonMusk’s #BlueCheck program. A lot of users not happy, trying to bend #Musk to their will rather than leave and migrate to #Mastodon

What does it take?

#Twexit #MastodonMigration #TwitterMigration

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/22/block-the-blue-twitter-verified/

Twitter users #BlockTheBlue as ‘verified’ accounts take on new meaning

Some netizens have blocked accounts with blue check marks after Twitter removed the symbol from legacy accounts.

The Washington Post

/3 -Day 180 Kyle Chayka of the New Yorker writing on the decay of the largest social networks with a particular focus on #Twitter:

“we can’t rely on large digital platforms that are motivated by profit above all”

Certainly makes the case for #Mastodon

#TwitterMigration

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/buzzfeed-blue-check-marks-and-the-end-of-an-internet-era

BuzzFeed, Blue Check Marks, and the End of an Internet Era

Kyle Chayka on the end of BuzzFeed News, Elon Musk’s removal of blue check marks from Twitter, the SpaceX Starship explosion, and the end of a social-media era.

The New Yorker

/4 - Day 182. Now here’s a surprise, those who have purchased a #Twitter #BlueCheck with have their posts prioritized

So much for the democracy of the internet or whether the quality of your content should be prioritized by opaque algorithms

I prefer my #AlgorithmFree #Mastodon experience

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/elon-musk-verified-twitter-accounts-prioritized.amp

#TwitterMigration

Elon Musk says verified Twitter accounts now 'prioritized' | Fox Business

Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that verified accounts on the social media platform are now "prioritized," after some celebrities were granted the badges without paying.

/5 - Day 183 - The elimination of the #BlueCheck has degraded #Twitter’s utility as a #news source. The new implementation has nothing to do with authentication and verification, if anything it is a propagandist’s delight. In #Musk’s conception of #SocialMedia, truth, veracity and honesty are of little value

#TwitterMigration

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/technology/twitter-verification-problems.html

Tweets Become Harder to Believe as Labels Change Meaning

The elimination of check marks that helped authenticate accounts has convulsed a platform that once seemed indispensable for following breaking news.

The New York Times

/6 Day 184 - What are the consequences of #Twitter laying off 75% of its workforce?

Two factor authentication used to be available for all accounts, it is now limited to Twitter blue payers. This recent removal, coupled with the lack of staff to assist with hacks, degrades the network. Classify this one under foolish #ElonMusk monetization attempts

#TwitterMigration

https://slate.com/technology/2023/04/twitter-hack-elon-musk-crypto-scams.html

My Twitter’s Been Hacked. But Hasn’t Everyone’s?

Life on a social platform that a shady character has taken from you and debased.

Slate

/7 Day 185 - #JackDorsey now regrets #ElonMusk’s take over of #Twitter. I guess there were no signs of toxic narcissism and egomania when he advocated for #Musk as the owner a year ago

I wonder if Dorsey is feeling more anti-Musk now that #BlueSky is making the news?

#SocialMedia #TwitterMigration

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-29/twitter-co-founder-dorsey-rues-musk-deal-it-all-went-south

Twitter Co-Founder Dorsey Rues Musk Deal: ‘It All Went South’

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey — once a supporter of Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the site — is now offering sharp criticism of the new owner and his handling of the deal.

Bloomberg

/8 It used to be that #Twitter was a preferred distribution channel for governmental agencies, that status appears to be crumbling. The MTA, #NYC’s transit agency used the network to provide service updates - now no more.

Twitter is now apparently offering gold and gray check marks for organizations. Maybe a poop brown tick mark will work for #ElonMusk?

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/wireStory/nyc-transit-agency-ends-twitter-alerts-unreliable-98928570

NYC transit agency ends Twitter alerts, says it's unreliable

ABC News

/9 Ah yes that looks like a winning strategy to bring back #NPR to #Twitter

#ElonMusk oozes hostility towards legitimate #NewsMedia companies. At what point do #Journalists cut the cord and say ENOUGH!

I get it's difficult to walk away from a large following, but do you really want to continue putting money in this #oligarch's pocket?

#TwitterMigration #News

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/elon-musk-threatens-to-assign-nprs-official-twitter-account-to-another-company

Elon Musk Threatens To Assign NPR’s Official Twitter Account To ‘Another Company’

Newly minted Twitter CEO Elon Musk threatened to reassign National Public Radio's official account — which uses the @NPR handle — to "another company" on Tuesday, weeks after the non-profit media…

TPM – Talking Points Memo

/10 Looks like #ElonMusk has just realized that public service announcements are additive to #Twitter. Could be, requiring public agencies pay for access to the #TwitterAPI might cool said organization’s enthusiasm for the #SocialMediaPlatform

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/new-reversal-twitter-after-move-sparked-mta-withdrawl.amp

New reversal by Twitter after move sparked MTA withdrawl | Fox Business

Twitter says it has restored free access to a key tool for verified government and “publicly owned" services so they can tweet weather, transit and other alerts.

11) The #TwitterBlue value proposition appears to be lacking. Churn rates on the service are extraordinarily high. Without a bona fide set of support services to truly validate users, #BlueCheckMarks have become meaningless. Chalk this one up as an #EpicFail

https://mashable.com/article/half-of-twitter-blue-earliest-subscribers-no-longer-subscribed

Over half of Twitter Blue's earliest subscribers are no longer subscribed

The early birds cancel their subscriptions.

Mashable

12) Another day, another degradation of the #Twitter work environment because you know employees shouldn't be letting child birth get in the way of #ElonMusk world domination

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/twitter-cuts-paid-parental-leave-policy.aspx

#Family #TwitterMigration #WorkLifeBalance #PaidLeave

Twitter Slashes Parental Leave Policy

​The social media giant is slashing its paid parental leave policy by 90 percent in some cases, according to new reports.

SHRM

13) Increasingly #Twitter looks like a seedy, battered, casino property. There are plenty of adds for erectile dysfunction and bongs likely encouraging mainstream advertsiers to stay away. Or might it be the bigotry encourage by #ElonMusk under the guise of #FreeSpeech?

The #NYT is out with a story based on an internal presentation from Twitter showing a 59% decline in YOY ad revenues for April.

All is clearly not well

#TwitterMigration #Twexit

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/technology/twitter-ad-sales-musk.html

Twitter’s U.S. Ad Sales Plunge 59% as Woes Continue

In internal forecasts, the company projected that ad sales would keep declining, handing a tough challenge to its new chief executive.

The New York Times

14) Another clownish misstep from #Twitter is drawing to a close. Clearly an attempt to force people to register on the site, I imagine the hope was to increase the MAUs

#TwitterMigration #Twexit

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/twitter-silently-removes-login-requirement-for-viewing-tweets/

TechCrunch is part of the Yahoo family of brands

15) Meanwhile the Facebook/Meta complex has lumbered onto to the stage to take a crack at #Twitter’s microblogging empire

Nice for those who feel they can trust #Zuckerberg. I’m sure he’ll be kind to your personal data even if he’s not as erratic as #Elon

#TwitterMigration #Twexit

https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/big-tech/2023/07/06/threads-app-metas-twitter-rival-logs-five-million-users-in-first-four-hours-after-going-live/

Threads app: Meta’s Twitter rival logs five million users in first four hours after going live

Instagram-linked app rolls out in US and UK but is unavailable in EU over regulatory concerns

The Irish Times

16) Yup that’s a real good look for #Twitter. So much for the virtue of #BlueCheckMarks. Now that designation has become a symbol for #disinformation

#Twexit #TwitterMigration #Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66113460

Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation

False and misleading claims about the war in Ukraine are being widely shared.

BBC News
@mnutty That’s a feature of those who funded it. Perception of authority but with whichever narrative they want amplified.
@jremsikjr Not sure I’d want to be associated with a #BlueCheckMark these days given the level of bile surging through #Twitter these days. To some degree, subscribing to this service is endorsing #racism, #homophobia etc