The slow train wreck that is Elon’s Twitter continues to both entertain and dismay. Damion Schubert has a solid summary of the latest mess (blue-check/verification shenanigans), and why it’s yet another example of a tone-deaf cock-up by the owner. I particularly liked this gem from his post:
The problem is that status isn’t why the blue checkmark was important . And because he didn’t understand it, now the status associated with the blue checkmark is roughly as desirable to wear as a dead fish found in the anus of a rotting skunk.
Damion Schubert, “It’s Not About Status, Elon. Only Now It Is.“
Other “delightful” recent shenanigans include:
- Updating their abuse policies to no longer protect trans folk.
- Listing news organizations like NPR as state-run media (who aren’t) while removing the state-run media tag from other organizations like RT (who are). (NPR finally had enough and has left Twitter, and I don’t blame them.)
- Banned left-wing activists, while unbanning and welcoming back actual neonazis.
- The list goes on, hopefully you get the gist.
I’ve not been talking much about this tire fire lately, partly because I haven’t been blogging much at all, but also because it’s the sort of thing that you probably either a) don’t care about, or b) are already following along and are aware. But still, sometimes it’s useful just to touch base. It’s not frequent that you get to see as major a service as Twitter actively implode. It feels kind of like if you were able to get an accelerated, bird’s eye view of the fall of Rome.