Could this mark the start of an even bigger shift away from Twitter? Recently, both NPR and PBS have announced that they’ll stop using Twitter as a means to connect with their respective audiences. This is due to the various changes the platform is enacting under the leadership of its new Chief, Elon Musk.
A Revolution in The Works
Most notably, both publishers have openly objected to Twitter’s new ‘Government-funded Media’ tag on their accounts, which they see as an attempt to sow distrust in traditional media, and the content they produce.
Really now, almost every other company could technically be labeled as government-funded, and Twitter itself isn’t exempted, and neither are Musk’s other companies. NPR is 1% funded by government subsidies, so it isn’t like there’s a relevant threshold for this implication. However, as per Musk’s repeated attacks on legacy media, and the biases that he believes they embody. The new Chief Twit seems intent on undermining public trust in outlets that he doesn’t like, however, he can, even if such labels could be misleading.
NPR, which has over 50 affiliated Twitter accounts, and nearly 18 million cumulative followers, and PBS, at 2.2 million, have both worked to establish their Twitter presence over time, and their decision to pause their Tweet activities will have some impact on Twitter discourse. It could have larger impacts on Twitter itself, however, with the platform coming closer in comparison to the absolute cesspool that’s Parler.
True enough, starting this week, Twitter will make a change to its systems which will mean that the only Tweets that are recommended in Twitter’s main ‘For You’ Feed will come from Twitter Blue subscriber accounts, which account for less than 1% of its total user base, and the majority of those paying users aligned with Musk’s vision – which means that this change will likely make your For You Feed a lot more ‘Musk-friendly’.
With Musk also criticizing the BBC, the New York Times, and various other outlets, it seems inevitable that, eventually, more of these providers will be re-considering their Twitter presence too, which leaves your Tweet Feed more and more aligned with Musk’s perspective on the news of the day, while drowning out counter-narratives. In itself, that’s a risk. Musk regularly buys into conspiracy theories and misinformation that aligns with his own bias, and regularly either deletes Tweets or walks things back. The loss of major news outlets could eventually erode Twitter’s relevance as an information platform, which is the key element that’s driven its relevance and made it a key platform for journalists before.
The Wrap
Right now, many users are seeking alternatives. Unfortunately, there is none, hence why Twitter hasn’t suffered any major losses just yet. If Twitter continues down this trajectory, however, the time will come when a seismic shift does occur, which could render Twitter highly obsolete. And whether or not you agree with the work of journalists, the concept that every publication, or every other publication, that you disagree with is radically biased is incorrect. At the end of it all isn’t the proliferation of the truth and more positive virtues, but rather, a more biased platform that will eventually turn users away.
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