AJNov 18, 2023
Dan Gillmor

The European Commission has had enough of Musk's deadbird site -- at least enough to stop paying him for the privilege of swimming in a toxic waste dump -- and people are talking about that.

Which reminds me:

Please don't beat up on people who leave that toxic place, even if you believe, however righteously, that they should have left long ago.

They're doing the right thing now. Thank them, and encourage others to do the same.

https://www.politico.eu/article/no-more-ads-elon-musk-x-twitter-european-commission-tell-staff/

No more ads on Elon’s X, EU Commission tells staff

Ads on Musk-owned social media site risk causing ‘reputational damage’ to the EU, its executive says in internal note.

POLITICO
Nov 17, 2023 at 7:53pmWeb
Show threadjz.tuskNov 17, 2023

@dangillmor

Yup. The most important thing is that more people & companies follow suit.

What do folks think is likelier to lead to that: the leavers getting applauded, or becoming the targets of more criticism?

And if you're not in the mood to hand out bouquets (understandable), you can always identify one of the remainer companies, and thrash them for not acting like IBM.

Show threadAntonio Páez 🇲🇽🇨🇦Nov 17, 2023

@dangillmor @MattFerrel

No beating up. Just a humongous roll of the eyes, commensurate with the loss of respect that it took them this long. I imagine Maggie The Plumber Haberman is still there, Xcreting.

Show threadMikeNov 17, 2023
@dangillmor Unless your target demographic is antisemites or lunatics, no one should be advertising on that site.
Show threadJoanna Bryson, blatheringNov 17, 2023
@dangillmor agree & disagree https://bsky.app/profile/j2bryson.bsky.social/post/3keehsta4jc2x
Joanna Bryson (@j2bryson.bsky.social)

I entirely support advertising boycotts of X. Twitter is still an important, under-regulated utility, so I do NOT support deleting accounts. This is like urban warfare. All sides should be trying to take back the city with as much of the infrastructure as possible intact, & minimising civilian harm.

Bluesky Social
Show threadRichardNov 17, 2023
@dangillmor This is the correct, adult, and responsible thing to do and I endorse this advice. But it's going to be REALLY hard to comply.
Show threadTim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPENov 17, 2023
@dangillmor There are still *lots* of organisations who have their only channel, or only effective channel, of customer service or tech support on Twitter.
Show threadsortiusNov 17, 2023

@dangillmor while I agree with the "don't beat up on people", thanking people leaving now is quite gross.

They've literally overlooked the dehumanisation of swathes of the world's population, all so they can keep their social media clout. That is not something to encourage.

Anyone leaving Twitter now has to spend time getting their humanity back in the eyes of people who left the moment the Nazis were brought back to Twitter

Show threadCATRINA PARONov 17, 2023
@dangillmor
Show threadHugo 雨果Nov 17, 2023
@dangillmor it’s honestly embarrassing that the the EU was doing business with them at all, but at least it’s over now. Better late than never I guess.
Show threadLaffyNov 17, 2023
@dangillmor Omg Dan, I've been saying that for 2 days now. Thank you.
Show threadBernhard LeinerNov 17, 2023

@dangillmor there is actually a dedicated Mastadon instance https://social.network.europa.eu and an EU commision account.

@EU_Commission, what about spending the X ad money on supporting Mastadon development?

EU Voice

EU Voice is the official ActivityPub platform of the EU institutions. With EU Video, it is part of an alternative social media pilot proposed and provided by the European Data Protection Supervisor.

Mastodon hosted on social.network.europa.eu
Show threadfoxjohngNov 17, 2023
@dangillmor Good that the EU is fed up, but X is still able to operate within the EU, whereas the infinitely less toxic Threads cannot.
Show threadThe Animal and the MachineNov 17, 2023

@dangillmor @Gargron
Quote toot needed.

To whom it may concern:
Don’t beat up on people full stop up. Even if they are staying on Twitter. You don’t know them. You don’t know their circumstances. It’s not Elon that brings the value there, it’s their loved ones.

Live and let live. You’re happy here right? Neither of you need that interaction.

I don’t think you can attack people and consider yourself a good person when you can just… not.

Show threadDesert PlainsNov 17, 2023

@dangillmor

That's why I left X, today.
Reporting a blatantly hate speech with a variety of offenses, means nothing against their community standards.

I'm amazed on how disgusting and wrong it became the former #twitter social media.

Show threadMartin Vermeer FCDNov 18, 2023
@desertplains @dangillmor Congrats on a right decision! But surely you've known this for longer. So, why only now? Curious, perhaps not so much about you as about those companies. Would like to understand the dynamics.
Show threadHealthy LifestyleNov 18, 2023
@dangillmor
https://www.theusaupdatezone.com/2023/11/07/aneurysm-risk-factors-unveiling-the-silent-threat/
Aneurysm Risk Factors: Unveiling the Silent Threat

Show threadBig Kumera EnergyNov 18, 2023
@dangillmor I'm really curious to understand why they thought advertising on there had value. That it was worth the investment. What deals were cut, what the rate card was and what was promised in return, and if it was delivered.
Show threadGrace CallahanNov 18, 2023
@dangillmor e
Escape from Elon MusX to brighter, greener, more righteous social pastures that promote democracy.
Show threadRyan LounsburyNov 18, 2023
@dangillmor It is finally happening. Major companies are pulling their ad dollars from X. That platform is on borrowed time.
Show thread@[email protected]Nov 18, 2023
@dangillmor Depends. For _persons_ sure. For _brands_ and _advertisers_ it's definitely a valid question to ask why this particular thing was any worse than all the other racism and fascism he's been promoting.
Show threadgunstickNov 18, 2023
@dangillmor I only beat those who are still there and not do at least some. crossposting.
That's the main reason I have still an account there.