Why I left Instagram and X/Twitter

When I first started out in my communications career I was elated that I was being paid to spend my time on social media. At the time (2012/2013), social media offered a platform to share parts of myself that hadn’t had an avenue to be heard before. For the companies I worked for, social media was an excellent tool for them to connect with their audiences in new ways and I got to be the one scrolling feeds, posting content, and being creative. Fast forward a decade and social media has become a weapon for the world’s wealthiest and most terrifying tech leaders. I suppose it always was, it’s just more apparent now.

My two main reasons for fleeing Twitter/X and Meta

Freedom of speech or just hate speech?

In 2023, when Elon Musk took over Twitter (now X), he rescinded the platform’s protections from “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals.” Last month, just ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Meta rolled back protections for 2SLGBTQ+ folks and women stating, for example, that users can now compare “gender or sexual orientation” to being mentally ill and can refer to women as property.

Hate speech and discrimination on Twitter/X and Meta platforms was a problem before these protections were rescinded, and I don’t think the policies were truly addressing the issue, but at least it was progress.

Attacks on democracy

Another change that Musk brought to Twitter/X and that Meta followed suit was the erosion of democratic values. On Twitter/X, Musk removed content moderation policies around disinformation, reinstated accounts that had previously been banned, and labeled certain media, such as CBC, as “government-funded.” Similarly, Meta recently announced it’s ending its third-party fact-checking program and, in 2023, blocked news outlets in Canada in response to the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which required tech platforms to compensate news publishers.

Again, disinformation has always been an issue, but, as a tool used by the masses to keep informed, social media should have a responsibility to combat the spread of misinformation.

Where to now?

Meta and Twitter/X remain popular social media platforms. I, myself, decided to keep Facebook because, in Vancouver, Marketplace is one of the best platforms to find rental housing. Plus, there isn’t yet a good alternative for Instagram, which, if it didn’t have all the hate and lies, would be in my top two favourite social media tools. For now, I’ve moved to Bluesky and Substack, and have increased my activity on LinkedIn. I love TikTok as well, but I’m skeptical of using this platform due to recommendations from the federal government and because it just seems to be one Amazon ad after another. Mastadon is just too confusing to use.

Should companies abandon Twitter/X and Meta too?

My recommendation to companies using Twitter/X and Meta is generally, yes, leave! However, it has to be a smart decision for your mission. One option, if you don’t want to exit right away, is to first analyze where your audience is, persuade them to follow you elsewhere, then leave after you have a fair following on the new platform. Another option would be to stay and be vocal of your position on policies and behaviours on the platform.

Can we build something better?

I believe that social media has the potential to be better. Please reach out to me if you’d like to imagine this world together.