
Navigating Twitter’s Downward Spiral
I wanted to survey the Twitter fallout and the current social media landscape. Where should you park your brand? Where do you grow your voice? Hopefully, the info below will inform you and help decide where to go from here.
If you’ve been paying attention to the tech news lately, you’ve seen Twitter hasn’t added any new users in Q2, it’s losing stock value and has yet to turn a profit. Is it time to jump ship?
Conduct, Not Code
I’ll get right to the point; users feel that Twitter has become over saturated with abusive personalities. They are either creating tribes on Twitter that support their viewpoints/beliefs or leaving the platform altogether.
These divisions sound familiar with what’s going on at Facebook, by the way. Social media may have peaked to the point where we’re all wanting the opposite of what social media was originally intended for — to talk to everyone. We’re finding out the people of the world can be absolutely wonderful. And we’ve found out that others can be downright nasty. So in defense we find ourselves in these communities that are more conducive to whatever we want to say. These communities don’t seek to challenge our view points, only to bolster them. So you effectively start having a bunch of chatter on social media, but hardly any dialogue or conversation. This behavior reminds me of a sage Jedi quote: “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” And it’s true, we have a bunch of Siths who have run rampant on Twitter.

What’s more, we’re seeing the true nature of the human condition: we’re all about me and no one else. This is counter to the concept of social media, where we include everyone else in our ‘me’. This is where we’re seeing the rub. “Your viewpoint doesn’t jive with mine, so I’m going to attack you, because my cause or belief is superior.” Amidst this social warfare, there are people who are trying to market their brand. This is where we begin our downward spiral.
Umair Haque points out in his blog post Why Twitter’s Dying (And What You Can Learn From It) that Twitter’s lack of engagement from users is from abuse. And no amount of code, version update or policy change can really save it. Umair’s blog post is really a good read, btw. He writes:
Abuse is killing the social web, and hence it isn’t peripheral to internet business models — it’s central. It has significant chilling effects: given a tipping point, people will simply stop using a network, and walk away…and that appears to be what’s happening with Twitter. Abuse is just as central to tech that connects people as selling beef that isn’t contaminated with salmonella is to an industry that feeds people. For the simple fact is that no one wants to spend their life being shouted at by people they’ll never meet who are angry not at them but at the world for things they barely even said to people they barely even know.
He later eloquently sums up the current state of affairs:
When a technology is used to shrink people’s possibilities, more than to expand them, it cannot create value for them.
The Twitter Alternatives?
So is there an alternative to Twitter? There have been many platforms that have popped up in favor of a Twitter-like, people-first environment.
Mastodon looks interesting in that it’s a cross between IRC and Twitter. It’s a social network based on open web protocols and free, open-source software. It is decentralized like e-mail. Your run of the mill, small business owner may have some trouble engaging in an intricate platform like this, but it’s appears to be a noble attempt at correcting what Twitter got wrong. We’ll see if it lasts.
GAB is another Twitter-like platform that has popped up. It’s an ad-free social network for creators who believe in free speech, individual liberty, and the free flow of information online.
Admittedly, I’ve yet to try both of these, but wanted to share them in this blog post. They both were made with intentions of fixing what Twitter got wrong.
“It’s Going Down In The DM”
Lately, I’m really comfortable with setting up camp at Instagram. I’ve always thought it to be an amicable experience over there, and it has unique opportunities to market what you’re doing.
Love him or hate him, serial entrepreneur/speaker Gary Vee has ideas for days. He’s actually pretty fired up about IG as a tool in business.
Gary is getting a haircut at his favorite barber in the Upper East Side, but still has time to do a vlog. I’m on the fence about this technique, but nevertheless he demonstrates how open and easy it is to make one on one contacts with business owners or potential customers on IG.
Sidebar: later in the video he notes it’s important to give people you’re pitching to value. A cold call with just an advertisement for your services is annoying. Give them a reason to reply and start a conversation.
I say I’m on the fence about just DMing people because you don’t want to just SPAM, SPAM and SPAM some more. To his credit, Vee says it’s a fear of his too, that we’ll just cold call in the DMs. Study IG profiles of the people you’re about to hit up, hit them with the DM and leave it be. There’s nothing worse than getting a ton of unasked for notifications on your phone.
You see value has to be in whatever we engage in. That’s why I’m seriously considering pinning a Tweet on my Twitter account to catch all my updates on IG or Facebook.
I don’t have a ton of followers since it’s a brand new account, but it’s a great compass to where I’m talking on the web. If I’m most active on a certain platform, why not use other platforms to point to the one I’m most on?
So, maybe like you, I was considering where to invest my time. Is it on a platform that has been riddled with abuse problems, stagnant in growth and one that’s losing users?
Population
IG is actually growing, doubling, in fact, the Twitter population. Twitter has 382 million users and IG has over 700 million. Grabted some a alt-accounts, but still this is a hige contrast. Twitter has been focusing on the daily average usage rather than growing users. They say this still metric still adds tremendous value to their advertisers. ::shrugs::
Ultimately, what we’re seeing is a decline in interest in Twitter — which is odd since it’s had such a cultural impact on us. Twitter has suffered with the problem of people just not knowing what to do with it. Yes, celebs and major brands have used it to communicate — even the President. When it comes to John Q. Public, there has been a disconnect on what to Tweet, how to Tweet, etc… It’s a brand problem as much as it is a user abuse problem, in my opinion. Other major platforms have made it clear and concise on what the platform is for and how to use it. Posting to Twitter has always felt like throwing pasta on the wall and seeing what sticks.
The Kiss of Death?
Twitter has actually addressed this with adding more volume to your voice, for a premium. Yes, for $99 a month you can get a boost in your follower’s feeds on Twitter. Some see this maneuver as the canary in the coal mine. Twitter says it’s a great option for small to medium sized businesses, and I agree. But will it be enough? We will start seeing influencers talking over influencers in our feed. This will make my Twitter feed be less personal and more paid advertisement. Making money isn’t bad for a company to do, don’t get me wrong. However, to me, I’m not seeing Twitter becoming a mutually beneficial relationship with users. And this won’t help.
But I could be wrong. I could be calling it quits too soon. What do you think? Tell me in the comments below.
Thanks for reading and I hope it’s helped inform you. Take a look my blog posts, follow me on Facebook and Instagram (also Twitter). See my wares at BrettThurston.com.

