Canadian experts and students weigh in on using the app post-acquisition
By: Alina Jaffer
Since
its mobilization in the 2008 United States presidential campaign, Twitter became the ultimate multi-purpose tool for journalists. Reporters routinely use the platform as a means of outreaching, networking, reporting and promoting.
Citizen journalists famously tweeted their way through the Arab spring, using social media to organize protests and raise awareness about civil unrest.
Those working for mainstream media outlets use the app for audience curation. Scott Bryan, who co-hosts a podcast for BBC Sounds, recently wrote about building a career on Twitter.
“These days, I report things the moment they happen in easy-to-follow threads,” said Bryan. “My tweets show editors and producers what I’m knowledgeable about and have led to invitations to go on radio and TV.”
Nicole Blanchett, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism, attests to the platform’s usefulness.
“I’ve often said to students in production classes that before something hits the news wires, I know the story breaks because I’m seeing it on my Twitter feed,” said Blanchett.
Knowing Twitter’s significance within – and oftentimes beyond – the media apparatus, Blanchett assigns a mandatory live-tweeting activity to better anchor first-year students navigating the field.
Scott Martin, who took Blanchett’s course in 2021, said he received multiple freelance writing offers through Twitter.
But, Twitter’s future as a writer’s resource is not guaranteed. Bryan said he worries about developments in the company’s acquisition ending the digital ecosystem that once helped him thrive in the industry.
The takeover and its aftermath
Business magnate Elon Musk bought out Twitter for $44 billion on Oct. 27, 2022.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” wrote Musk that morning.
According to NBC News, the deal concluded after months of legal battles and mass layoffs.
Controversy ensued post-acquisition.
One of Musk’s first renovations was Twitter Blue, a subscription service costing USD$7.99 per month. Subscribers received a blue tick by their name – a symbol which formerly represented identity verification.
It wasn’t long before users with newly verified accounts impersonated public figures.
For instance, a profile parodying pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly posted a tweet falsely advertising free insulin. The claim spread for hours, resulting in a misinformation scandal that incited an exorbitant plummet of the Lilly (LLY) stock.
Other verified accounts included parodies of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Tesla and Jesus.
The rollout of Twitter Blue has since paused. But as Reuters reports, it may return on Nov. 29, 2022.
Despite the promise of an improved subscription service, future journalists worry about long-term effects of its first rollout.
“I think the readers following the unending nonsense at Twitter will absolutely question the reputability of articles after the blue check fiasco,” said Martin in an email correspondence.
Others question how the revamped subscription will serve Musk’s goal of democratising journalism.
Journalism student Fatima Raza said Twitter’s prioritizing of subscribed journalists in replies, mentions and searches creates a bias toward those who can afford $8 per month.
According to Musk, this new Twitter will uplift citizen journalism – a form of reporting and analysis of news conducted by the general public.
Elon Musk tells users about the future of Twitter in a series of posts.
Some students believe Musk’s favour for citizen journalism comes from a place of contempt.
“Musk is in a position where he has been covered critically by journalists, and he believes that ‘citizen journalists’ would be more favourable towards him,” said Martin. “I think what Musk means by that term and what we understand that term to mean are two different things.”
Martin and his peers say that journalism should be open to anyone who works on the ground and prioritizes veracity by double-checking sources, for example. Still, they remain acutely aware of citizen journalism’s potential pitfalls.
Journalism student Vanessa Tiberio said citizen journalism at large is not comparable to professional work which must meet the ethical reporting standards of major outlets.
As it stands, both professional and non-professional reporters are losing faith in the process of promoting work via Musk’s Twitter.
What happens now?
The #RIPTwitter trend took off on Thursday night after hundreds of Twitter workers resigned following an ultimatum issued by Musk. The ultimatum demanded either a commitment to hardcore work hours or a resignation with three months of severance pay.
In the wake of employees’ absences, journalists began posting farewell tweets. Many encouraged audiences to follow their work on alternative platforms.
The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz even changed her account name to, “Subscribe to my substack.”
KEEP UP WITH MY WORK!!!!!!!
💓 Tumblr: https://t.co/CDpkRBpaWe
💓 TikTok: https://t.co/HajlcoDGpu
💓 Substack: https://t.co/35woOyVsPm
💓 Mastodon: https://t.co/tUvOIKdibm
💓 Instagram: https://t.co/Po5fjMVUtS
💓 YouTube: https://t.co/TL2mvDzfHC
— SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK (@TaylorLorenz) November 18, 2022
This shifting of audiences is not an overreaction. CTV News’ Olivia Bowden spoke on the matter in an email correspondence. She said recent events at Twitter showed people that the platforms we thought would have permanency – platforms into which we invest time and talent – are fallible.
For journalists, this fallibility threatens a once-reliable safety net.
“When I was laid off in 2020, I was immediately offered work in less than 24 hours because I tweeted about it,” said Bowden.
Accordingly, journalism students followed Bowden and Lorenz’s leads.
“I launched a substack over the weekend for this reason and I’ve been trying to direct people to my Instagram and TikTok,” said Martin. “The reality is that the communities built on Twitter took years [to create]. It’s almost impossible to replicate that process in the span of two weeks on another agreed-upon service.”
Bowden said this potential disintegration of Twitter communities will heavily impact young journalists of colour.
“They’ve been able to carve out their space on Twitter when mainstream news platforms and outlets would not give them opportunities,” she said.
Connecting on alternative social medias may be necessary as Twitter navigates this pivotal time. If any platform truly manages to replace the once-beloved medium, it should perhaps be more in line with those who make up the future of Canadian journalism.
