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I don't think I need to fill anyone in on all the cancel culture, toxicity, and stupidity that's been pretty inherent to Twitter since the very beginning, but I think we need to discuss WHY exactly this happened. I've already talked countless times about how Reddit's voting system is the platform's downfall by a long shot, but I never really talk in depth about the other major social media platforms, so today, we'll start with Twitter. I may have missed a few things though, so if I have, let me know.
1. Post length is restricted
When Twitter first started, no one could make an individual post that had more than 140 characters, and for roughly 11 years, that was how it worked. This was the first and probably most integral reason why Twitter failed and has failed as much as it has. While you could split what you needed to say into multiple posts or use TwitLonger to make a much larger post, it was kind of a pain, and not something most people did. So, right from the start, Twitter was dumbing down discussions everywhere. Tweets had to be appealing at face value, or many wouldn't read them. Now, later on, this restricted length was increased in 2017 to 280 characters, but it was too little too late. The site culture had long since been established and 280 characters just wasn't much of an improvement anyway.
2. Hashtags devolve arguments further into a single phrase
If it wasn't enough that all individual posts had to be only 140/280 chars. in length, Twitter also offered a way to further simplify a movement or idea to a single phrase. Now, the harm that this caused is a little more abstract. Basically though, the hashtags further encouraged hot takes. Something had to be shocking enough for a hashtag to spread effectively, even if it was total nonsense. Only the most loud and easy to understand hashtags could reach incredible popularity.
3. The combination of short post lengths, followers, and hashtags heavily encourage mob mentality
Now, if we add all this together, we see a cycle of simplistic posts, inflammatory or shocking hashtags, and followers often agreeing with said simplistic statements. Basically, the whole system encourages outrageous easy-to-understand posts in order to get more attention (followers). This is why mobs form so easily on the platform.
4. De-anonymization
And finally, although this one isn't entirely Twitter's fault, it is a factor nonetheless. Facebook was the one who first started the push to make everyone use their real names (more on them later), and since everyone became comfortable with that, and of course, it's tempting to give all the followers you've earned and may earn in the future your real face and name, you'll often see real names and pictures on Twitter accounts. If one de-anonymizes themselves, anything they say now is linked directly to their identity, which means that such people can be easily targeted in real life by hate mobs.
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So is there any hope for Twitter? I don't really think so, or at least not without making RADICAL changes to the platform. But if you're doing that, why not just make another platform altogether?
1. Post length is restricted
When Twitter first started, no one could make an individual post that had more than 140 characters, and for roughly 11 years, that was how it worked. This was the first and probably most integral reason why Twitter failed and has failed as much as it has. While you could split what you needed to say into multiple posts or use TwitLonger to make a much larger post, it was kind of a pain, and not something most people did. So, right from the start, Twitter was dumbing down discussions everywhere. Tweets had to be appealing at face value, or many wouldn't read them. Now, later on, this restricted length was increased in 2017 to 280 characters, but it was too little too late. The site culture had long since been established and 280 characters just wasn't much of an improvement anyway.
2. Hashtags devolve arguments further into a single phrase
If it wasn't enough that all individual posts had to be only 140/280 chars. in length, Twitter also offered a way to further simplify a movement or idea to a single phrase. Now, the harm that this caused is a little more abstract. Basically though, the hashtags further encouraged hot takes. Something had to be shocking enough for a hashtag to spread effectively, even if it was total nonsense. Only the most loud and easy to understand hashtags could reach incredible popularity.
3. The combination of short post lengths, followers, and hashtags heavily encourage mob mentality
Now, if we add all this together, we see a cycle of simplistic posts, inflammatory or shocking hashtags, and followers often agreeing with said simplistic statements. Basically, the whole system encourages outrageous easy-to-understand posts in order to get more attention (followers). This is why mobs form so easily on the platform.
4. De-anonymization
And finally, although this one isn't entirely Twitter's fault, it is a factor nonetheless. Facebook was the one who first started the push to make everyone use their real names (more on them later), and since everyone became comfortable with that, and of course, it's tempting to give all the followers you've earned and may earn in the future your real face and name, you'll often see real names and pictures on Twitter accounts. If one de-anonymizes themselves, anything they say now is linked directly to their identity, which means that such people can be easily targeted in real life by hate mobs.
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So is there any hope for Twitter? I don't really think so, or at least not without making RADICAL changes to the platform. But if you're doing that, why not just make another platform altogether?
