SOCIAL MEDIA

One day, when millennials like myself are sitting around the fireplace as elders, we may tell our grandchildren the story of Black Twitter, a network of Black people who came together to rejoice, mourn, share news, hot takes, and epic memes that helped to shape the very fabric of American society. And how Black Twitter’s kryptonite is that it lives within an even larger digital community, one that Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk’s poor and hasty management strategies have placed in jeopardy. As Jason Parham wrote in Wired, “there is no replacement for Black Twitter,” although some have suggested alternatives.

In true Black Twitter form, some users have already started making funeral arrangements, planning which outfit to wear, and sharing personal stories, pictures, and videos. There’s a “last day of summer camp” type of vibe going on, where folks keep asking, “where can I find you if Twitter dies.” However, on the positive side, some people have shared how much the platform means to them, how it influenced them, helped them get jobs, make romantic connections, and gave neurodivergent and other marginalized groups a space. The preemptive trauma of losing those connections has brought about a level of honesty and camaraderie in the digital air, and it’s refreshing but also shocking.

Since Elon Musk sent employees a letter with an ultimatum, the latest move in the “dramatic saga that’s unfolded since Musk announced his takeover bid,” the platform’s been in disarray, causing speculation about when and if Twitter’s servers will crash now that thousands of employees who helped keep the platform afloat have left, following massive layoffs. So far, Musk has failed to work with his employees and instead has tried to rule over them, a recipe for disaster. If I could recommend reading “The Human Workplace: People-Centred Organizational Development” for Musk’s continued development, I would. One thing’s for sure. The poor management of Twitter since Musk’s takeover absolutely destroys the myth that billionaires are inherently good at running a business. Their wealth is the result of privilege and opportunity, not talent, as many would have us believe. Musk’s privilege afforded him the wealth necessary to buy Twitter for $44 billion, a decision that has left employees disheveled and spawned an endless spiral of chaos throughout the platform.

Is it just a coincidence that Musk, a man whose family profited from the Apartheid in South Africa, would damage or dismantle Black people’s most successful, global community? Perhaps, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a coincidence for Black people, other groups of activists, and organizers who have long used the platform as a consistent tool for organizing and disseminating information. No one knows how this story will end if we’re witnessing the end of the social era or only a bump in the road. Either way, Black Twitter, which inspired the rise and fall of social movements, could become a casualty of war in Musk’s sloppy acquisition of the platform.

In April, I asked in Momentum if a White billionaire could destroy Black Twitter, suggesting it was too early to assume its downfall. And until the server crashes, it’s unlikely Black Twitter will stop tweeting, but nothing is guaranteed. Some have compared Twitter’s chaos under Musk to the Titanic sinking, and if that’s the case, Black Twitter’s comedic responses will serve as the band, playing until the bitter end. Throughout all the hardships Black people have endured since 2009, we’ve been able to capture each moment and varied perspectives in a centralized digital place, one we may lose if poor management continues.

It was through Black Twitter, not through a formal news network, that many Black millennials learned about the injustices Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and George Floyd suffered, and where the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter first went viral. And it was through Black Twitter that movements like #OscarsSoWhite challenged Hollywood to embrace diversity and that younger generations of Black people learned about key civil rights figures, often left out of public schools. Black Twitter was a place to learn, to laugh, and cry, a melting pot of Black people from all over America and throughout the diaspora.

Black Twitter became a source of social good in finding lost Black teenagers, teaching White people some essential cooking and hygiene hacks, and making people laugh or smile when they needed it the most. Black Twitter is an irreplaceable social phenomenon — hopefully, it’s not too late to say that. Although right now, Black Twitter is feeling like that close friend whose parents might move them out of state, the future is uncertain. No matter what happens next, Black Twitter will live on in the hearts and minds of Black people. But, as we await Elon Musk’s next “great idea” while ignoring our gracious request for an edit button, Black Twitter living inside us doesn’t seem good enough. And neither do any of the social media replacements users have suggested so far.

For a litany of reasons, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can’t replace Black Twitter. Facebook’s long-form format, Instagram, and TikTok’s constant push to have the user post pictures and videos don’t hold a candle to the simplicity of Twitter’s 280-character format. As André Brock, a professor of Black digital studies at Georgia Tech, said, “Black Twitter has endured as the premiere cultural marketplace of our time because it accomplished what no other digital body could,” providing “coherence — through culture, discourse, collective identity, and joy — to a digital platform that nobody really understood’ until it was too late.”

While some users are already dressing for the funeral, some haven’t picked out something Black to wear yet — they’re not ready to say goodbye since no one knows if or when the site will crash. However, days after Elon’s chaotic message to staff and massive layoffs, Black Twitter is still posting the most salient commentary. So now may be a good time for folks to download their Twitter archive, just in case. You could have hidden gems in the things you’ve said or responded to over the years. No matter what the future holds, Black Twitter is sure to go down in history as a community of tenacious, quick-witted Black people whose perspectives changed the world. So if this is the final stand, Black Twitter can rejoice knowing they made a lasting stamp on the digital world, leaving it much better than we found it. For now, Black Twitter is still kicking.

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