I’m pretty sure we can all agree that Twitter has seen better days. It’s not that it’s wildly different from what it was back in the 2010s at its core. It’s just that all the changes made by its new owner in the 2020s have all added up to an experience that is collectively a lot worse. It became such a mess after Elon Musk took over and began implementing his poorly thought out changes that not only did many users leave but many corporations and advertisers left too, and I don’t blame any of them. These days when people mention Twitter it’s mostly to make fun of how bad it is, and there are many bad things about it. But in spite of the Grok of it all, I have remained a steadfast user of the site for over a decade and continue to tweet every single day. Which means I have witnessed the quality of the place deteriorate and have seen many of my former mutuals abandon it in real time. If you’ve ever visited Bluesky (a website where many former Twitter users migrated), you will see many people talk about Twitter as a place that used to be good but is now a cesspool of right-wing propaganda (a reflection of Musk’s own political views). And they are not wrong because I am seeing it up close, but unless the Twitter app just goes away, I seriously doubt I will ever leave. Because unlike many people, I still find value in Twitter. And it’s not just because I’m a lefty progressive who gets enjoyment out of dunking on MAGA morons on their home turf. I mean my life would actually be worse if Twitter didn’t exist.

To explain why, let’s go back to what that website is and why I joined it in the first place.

Twitter is a microblogging social network first founded in 2006 in San Francisco, California by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. In just a few years after it was created it grew into one of the most popular websites around the world, eventually reaching over 100 million users by 2012. Basically the website lets you create your own account and send text, images, GIFs and videos via a feed of short posts (commonly referred to as “Tweets”). You can also visit the accounts of other users and like and share (or “retweet”) their posts onto your own feed, as well as direct message users in private chats, create lists, bookmark tweets, block or mute accounts you don’t like, add community notes to tweets with false information and other features.

I originally had no interest in joining the website because I didn’t understand its appeal, but I finally became curious enough to sign up for an account back in 2014 when I learned that many of my favorite people like Conan O’Brien, Seth MacFarlane and Leonard Maltin were using the platform. At first I thought I would just follow them to read their tweets without tweeting much myself. Little did I know that Twitter would become one of the most significant and life-changing websites I ever visited.

Twitter arrived at the perfect time in my life because it provided something that I was subconsciously craving for a long time but never truly had, which was a true connection with someone. Specifically a group of geeks who are just as passionate about things like film, TV, video games and animation as I am. In other words, a peer group (I was homeschooled so I never had friends). If you read this blog regularly, you know that I primarily write about entertainment history. But if you follow me on Twitter, my posts there are a lot more varied and opinion-based. I obviously still had these opinions before I joined Twitter, but back then I wrote all my opinions in a journal, just as an outlet. Because even though I didn’t have a website or a blog and the only person reading my stuff was me, I still had to write all these things down. Because if I kept it in my head, it felt like my head would explode.

Not that I have ever really felt lonely or longed for social circles before (I’m an introvert and a couch potato – all I need to be happy is a TV), but the more I became obsessed with the making of movies, reading all these history books about art and entertainment, and my knowledge of subjects like cinema, the television industry, animation and technology expanded, the more I longed to not only share my knowledge and thoughts and opinions with others but also to have intellectual discussions and share a common passion about these subjects. Because no one in my family cared about these things on nearly the same level that I did. And even when we did have common interests, talking to your older brother or younger sister about stuff like this is not really the same.

As a kid I’ve had hyperfixations about many random subjects (Greek mythology, Dr. Seuss, etc.), but none bigger than my obsession with films, TV shows and video games, all subjects that I have tweeted about and continue to tweet about to this day, gaining followers, mutuals and friends in the process. In fact, I would have never started this blog if it wasn’t for Twitter, because one of my mutuals inspired me to create it after I began reading their blog. Many other good things about my life came out of Twitter as well. I literally met my first girlfriend on Twitter after we bonded over a love of video games and a conversation led to the revelation that she lived in California and we were only a train ride away from each other. Twitter is also where I have had some of the most memorable interactions I’ve ever had with some of my favorite celebrities and professional artists (some of whom follow me back and regularly like my tweets, which still makes my head explode).

So after having read all that, you probably understand why Twitter is my favorite website. Of course I had the good fortune to join it when it was still in its prime.

Ever since Elon Musk acquired the company in 2022 and rebranded it as “X,” the quality of the website dropped dramatically, including a decreased moderation of hate speech (leading to an increase of racism, sexism, transphobia, etc.), a complete overhaul of the blue check system (initially celebrities and public figures were given blue checks as a stamp of authenticity to differentiate themselves from impersonators, but Musk changed it so that anyone who pays for a Twitter subscription can buy a blue check, which renders them as a meaningless symbol for wannabe fame seekers), and many other stupid “improvements” that just make the website just plain worse. A lot of people left Twitter in the 2020s because of these changes, although even before Musk bought it, Twitter was not a perfect place. People have always made offensive and hateful tweets and even Jack Dorsey struggled with how to handle content moderation. But the whole “X” thing was just the final straw for many former users of the SpaceX-owned social network. Especially since the site has a negative reputation for fostering hate groups, particularly right-wing hate groups (because GamerGate never truly ended).

Having said all that, I still use the website in the exact same way I always have, and I even still call the place “Twitter” (because that’s its REAL name – don’t @ me). I never recommend it to people anymore because it’s not an environment that I think most people will be able to tolerate. In fact a lot of people I used to follow are either not active anymore or they just left completely, sometimes to join less controversial social media sites like Threads and Bluesky (which was founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey). I’m on Bluesky and I get why people migrated there. Believe me, it is nice to be on a website that is closer to what Twitter used to me like. But there’s no way I’m never leaving Twitter. Not only do I have too much sentimental attachment to this place but I have too many friends who are still there (and are just as invested in keeping it sane and civil as I am), and despite the hate Twitter gets from many people on the political left these days, there are many things about the site that remain great in spite of its flaws. Especially if you know how to navigate all the garbage and have a positive experience, which is absolutely possible to do as long as you follow great people, you like connecting with new people, you have a clear voice and a clear sense of purpose for being there, you ignore all the algorithmic recommendations and notifications, you know how to handle bad actors, trolls, negative comments and people who like to start arguments, you know how to detect bullshit like fake rumors, inaccurate headlines and bots, and you remember to enjoy yourself. Because that’s the main reason why you should be on Twitter or Bluesky or any social media website. Yes it’s great to connect with people in other countries, catch up with the news and keep up with your favorite influencer but make sure you don’t take it too seriously and always remember to have fun.

Look, I fully admit that I am addicted to Twitter (I’m not proud of that fact), but it’s in a healthy way that doesn’t interfere with my social life, work or mental health. Because if it ever feels like your allegiance to the website is having a negative effect on your mental health (as many social media sites are prone to do, especially for young people in their teens and 20s) or if you find yourself becoming the unfortunate victim of being addicted to getting likes, being noticed by your celebrity crush, doom scrolling through the news or having your opinion about that new movie validated by strangers in order to fill the empty void in your mortal soul, maybe take a break and smell the roses. Tweeting isn’t an inherently good or bad thing to do. Social media is only as good as the human beings who shape it.