I used to be a Twitter user. I joined Twitter in June of 2008. I used Twitter for a good number of conferences. I met people, made connections, found resources, and more through Twitter.
In 2018, I tried out Mastodon. I loved the idea. However, there really weren’t many educators there. So, I kept the account but also stayed on Twitter.
With the purchase of Twitter, and the changes that wrought, I left Twitter.
There are still tons of people on Twitter, er X. On one hand, I understand why. There are still lots of good links and good people on X. However, X now supports a great amount of misinformation and disinformation. Actively.
I’m off Twitter and I’ll explain why.
Now some people don’t see that much. So, their belief is that it really doesn’t matter. I think it does.
Discrimination, bias, and manipulation matter. Even if you don’t see it all the time. Kind of like, I don’t actively see racial discrimination every day. But I know that it exists. I don’t support places that support racial discrimination even if I don’t necessarily see it.
I won’t support Twitter. Be clear, having an account on Twitter and using it, supports Twitter. If you are logging in to Twitter, if you are checking Twitter, you are supporting Twitter. Obviously, if you are paying for an account, you are supporting Twitter.
I’m choosing not to support the bias and manipulation that is now Twitter. Yet, I understand that others may not have the same opinion. Twitter was a very valuable resource. Lots of educational organizations still support X and Facebook. Recently, a Maine Department of Education representative was asked about a grant opportunity. Their answer was to check “Twitter or Facebook”. This is frustrating to me. In order to get information about a grant I have to give my attention to “Twitter” now X or Facebook (which has been caught lying and doing bad things repeatedly).
Maine, like most states, is very concerned about privacy and security. There is even a current ban on State departments using AI due to privacy and security. Yet, the Maine Department of Education is actively supporting two companies that do not respect privacy and security.
Again, on one hand I understand. It’s hard to keep track of who is supporting what. It’s tough if you don’t obviously see the bias and discrimination.
On the other, isn’t this what being an informed citizen is about? Shouldn’t we be aware of those sites that we support? Do we bear any responsibility to be proactive about combatting discrimination and bias?
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