Why the fuck am I still on Twitter? Why the fuck are any journalists still on Twitter? A 2023 debate on whether it's time to ditch Elon Musk for saner pastures.
I left Twitter after the Tucker Carlson announcement and haven't missed it. The only major gap is I don't have anywhere to talk about sports with random strangers (which I value). Notes is nice generally, but it's pretty bad for sports.
But, for me, I actively boycotted Fox News, so it felt like a disconnect if I would not boycott Twitter's attempt to get bought by Fox.
I work pretty hard to avoid getting myself into ideological bubbles, but that doesn't mean I need to be an active participant in right-wing echo chambers. I think the growing intolerance from the right is alarming, so I don't want to support someone who clearly supports these ideals.
As Van Lathan likes to say on his shows: "You may not be a racist, but you should probably look in the mirror if the racists respect you."
(I also think the value of Twitter for journalists is a bit overrated and it's often more of a distraction than a tool).
I’m a person who makes a living in a manner that doesn’t require Twitter. I decided to dip my toes in sometime around 2018 or so to see what it was all about ... and sometime in late November 2020 I checked out. All I had wanted was to find conversations about baseball, baseball cards, the Red Sox, Patriots, music, and other assorted nonsense. And, yes, I discovered some really interesting people whom I likely wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. I once had my knuckles wrapped by Rob Neyer for using some butwhatabout nonsense and I’m forever grateful he did. But it was impossible to be there without all the ... other stuff leaking into it ... and, some may recall the year 2020 was particularly ... well ... y’know. Anyway ... I walked away. Every once in a while I wonder about this or that person I followed (“did he ever finish that 1953 Bowman Color set?” or “what would Tom Nichols have to say about this?!!”), but, knowing the ever growing cost to my mental wellbeing, I’ve refrained from finding the answers.
All of this to lead to Howard Bryant ... an author who has been challenging me and making me confront some very uncomfortable topics that can sometimes be invisible up here in northern New England. I will confess, too ... I read at least two of your more recent books because I saw you mentioning one or the other on Twitter. I know I caught onto at least two of Bryant’s in that bluebird cesspool. I understand why someone in your shoes would hesitate. But Bryant is in a similar brand of shoes to you. Consider his reply ... “Every day it’s an even better decision.” To paraphrase the woman in diner in When Harry Met Sally ... I’ll have what he’s having.
Jeff, thank you for your thought-provoking thoughts about Twitter — where we've followed each other for a long time and where, of course, I quote-tweeted a link to this post.
Also, I completely agree with you about Mazzulla. Often, teams are too quick to fire coaches because the organization is broken, the roster is bad, etc. and the head coach makes for a convenient scapegoat. Then they act surprised when the new coach can't fix it, either. (This is hardly limited to the NBA; witness the insane Premier League coaching carousel in the season just ended.) But in this case, it's not the players, it's not the organization, and — to your point — the Celtics' window with 1, 1A, and supporting players this good can't stay open much longer. A better, more experienced head coach could make the difference between a title or another near-miss.
Glad I found your Substack. Keep up the good work, man!
Have you thought about TikTok just from a reach perspective? They have a hashtag #booktok that gives a lot of exposure to authors. I'm going to join just to publicize my offerings, but, I'm wary that it might be another future wasteland.
I left Twitter after the Tucker Carlson announcement and haven't missed it. The only major gap is I don't have anywhere to talk about sports with random strangers (which I value). Notes is nice generally, but it's pretty bad for sports.
But, for me, I actively boycotted Fox News, so it felt like a disconnect if I would not boycott Twitter's attempt to get bought by Fox.
I work pretty hard to avoid getting myself into ideological bubbles, but that doesn't mean I need to be an active participant in right-wing echo chambers. I think the growing intolerance from the right is alarming, so I don't want to support someone who clearly supports these ideals.
As Van Lathan likes to say on his shows: "You may not be a racist, but you should probably look in the mirror if the racists respect you."
(I also think the value of Twitter for journalists is a bit overrated and it's often more of a distraction than a tool).
I’m a person who makes a living in a manner that doesn’t require Twitter. I decided to dip my toes in sometime around 2018 or so to see what it was all about ... and sometime in late November 2020 I checked out. All I had wanted was to find conversations about baseball, baseball cards, the Red Sox, Patriots, music, and other assorted nonsense. And, yes, I discovered some really interesting people whom I likely wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. I once had my knuckles wrapped by Rob Neyer for using some butwhatabout nonsense and I’m forever grateful he did. But it was impossible to be there without all the ... other stuff leaking into it ... and, some may recall the year 2020 was particularly ... well ... y’know. Anyway ... I walked away. Every once in a while I wonder about this or that person I followed (“did he ever finish that 1953 Bowman Color set?” or “what would Tom Nichols have to say about this?!!”), but, knowing the ever growing cost to my mental wellbeing, I’ve refrained from finding the answers.
All of this to lead to Howard Bryant ... an author who has been challenging me and making me confront some very uncomfortable topics that can sometimes be invisible up here in northern New England. I will confess, too ... I read at least two of your more recent books because I saw you mentioning one or the other on Twitter. I know I caught onto at least two of Bryant’s in that bluebird cesspool. I understand why someone in your shoes would hesitate. But Bryant is in a similar brand of shoes to you. Consider his reply ... “Every day it’s an even better decision.” To paraphrase the woman in diner in When Harry Met Sally ... I’ll have what he’s having.
Good luck with whichever decision you make.
Jeff, thank you for your thought-provoking thoughts about Twitter — where we've followed each other for a long time and where, of course, I quote-tweeted a link to this post.
Also, I completely agree with you about Mazzulla. Often, teams are too quick to fire coaches because the organization is broken, the roster is bad, etc. and the head coach makes for a convenient scapegoat. Then they act surprised when the new coach can't fix it, either. (This is hardly limited to the NBA; witness the insane Premier League coaching carousel in the season just ended.) But in this case, it's not the players, it's not the organization, and — to your point — the Celtics' window with 1, 1A, and supporting players this good can't stay open much longer. A better, more experienced head coach could make the difference between a title or another near-miss.
Glad I found your Substack. Keep up the good work, man!
This was a great read.
Twitter has value as the junkyard does, or the sewer.
Have you thought about TikTok just from a reach perspective? They have a hashtag #booktok that gives a lot of exposure to authors. I'm going to join just to publicize my offerings, but, I'm wary that it might be another future wasteland.
"Young MC, if we took a survey of Gen Xers, would they say they can quote more verses of Hamlet or of Bust A Move?"