My Relationship with Twitter, Est. 2007
As a young Account Manager at Crispin - a global ad agency doing some of the most creative and cutting-edge work at the time - I remember how important it was for all of us in the business to embrace new tech in every possible way. You could find my coworkers and me bopping around with the latest Blackberry, blowing up BBM, and checking in on FourSquare.
Still true today, it was the price of admission within the ad agency world to embrace all the new gadgets and apps to earn your ‘early adopter’ badge.
Part of that technology rush was joining Twitter (now X), which I did in 2007. In my greatest heyday of being active on ‘the artist formerly known as Twitter,’ I was posting overheard and out-of-context quotes, self-deprecating commentary, and punchy quips about my overworked / underpaid life as an Account Manager in the ad biz – oftentimes making up my own hashtags for the sake of the joke.
The Rise and Fall
When rereading my now decade-old tweets, I see there was more there than meets the eye. Buried within those 2,000+ posts are layers of meaning in the seemingly trivial exchanges:
- Relationships being built among co-workers and friends, sometimes even siblings who lived a few states away.
- Conversations happening outside the office walls or beyond the context of day-to-day work.
- Legacies and memorable moments cataloged, the modern-day equivalent of drawings on a cave wall.
The deeper benefits of using this platform weren’t unique to Twitter at that time - or any social media outlet today - but it is curious to see, now all these years later, how much more was going on behind the scenes with something that seemed so frivolous at the time.
Eventually in 2012, as with a lot of Twitter users, my activity declined and then petered out completely. Twitter was no longer the ‘shiny new object’ on the scene, and the platform became a relic to me. My interest shifted heavily to Facebook, and then eventually Instagram.
Online statistics during that time and a few years beyond reflect my usage trends. By 2013, I thought Twitter was something only journalists and politicians used.
A New Era Begins
Almost ten years later in 2022, Elon Musk completed the purchase and overhaul of Twitter. Although a consequential event in history, it was just a distant news story to me - especially because I had started to detach from social media all together. In fact, around that time, my distaste for Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn had reached an all-time high.
By January of 2024, I hadn’t logged on to any social media platform unless absolutely necessary, and I was proud to wear a badge of an ‘unplugged, off-the-grid, anti-social media user’ whenever it came up in conversation.
However, that all changed for me this summer when I started poking around on X. At first, I logged back in simply to be a passive observer and to see what all the fuss was about. I was chasing content and activity from my newfound love of politics, and X was no doubt where the action was.
A few weeks later, I decided to pay for a premium subscription to reduce the ad clutter (a real testament to my profession, amiright?) and heighten my experience. Most recently, I’ve been so bold as to start commenting and posting from my personal account.
But Really, What's the Big Deal with X?
After a few weeks tip-toeing back into the platform, I’m convinced that there’s a huge opportunity for growth. Why? Well, the simplest answer is that X is currently the last harbor of unadulterated free speech on the Internet.
The more complex answer is that Elon Musk has taken the best parts of other social media platforms and put them into one place, ALL while keeping free speech at the forefront.
Here are just a few of my favorite features of X:
- For You and Following tabs - these allow you to switch back and forth from a curated feed based on your activity (For You) to a feed you’ve chosen for yourself (Following). Head’s up: the X algorithm definitely can read a room. I almost always find myself on the ‘For You’ feed scrolling through user after user who shares content I love and whom I never would have never found otherwise.
- Addition of video, photo, polls, and other types of attachments and embeds - the diversity of content types that can be posted on X makes you feel like you’re getting the best from all of the visual-forward platforms while also still seeing text-only posts. All content types are welcome and given equal opportunity to thrive.
- Overhaul of the subscription model for creators - showcasing Elon’s faith in X’s growth potential AND his support of independent thinkers, this opt-in feature opens up additional revenue streams for the platform and anyone who can create value from what they have to say. It’s empowering!
Other benefits include Grok integration, the creation and efficacy of Community Notes, the ability to host both audio and video live events using Spaces, and so many more.
For all of these reasons, there is no doubt that millions more content creators and users, especially ones like me who had been disenfranchised with social media all together, will continue to flock to, reactivate, and build up their presence on X.
In fact and because of the movement we’ve seen on X, my creative agency - Made In July - recently dabbled in a paid ad campaign on the platform. Results are minimal as of now, but we’re excited to be on the cusp of growing our presence on X.
As a small business owner, the writing is on the wall and seems pretty plain to me: huge opportunities will continue to present themselves for growing businesses as followers start to migrate. So if businesses aren’t already planning to focus on business development and niche thought leadership on X, they should be.
For me personally, the re-engagement on this platform feels like getting back together with an “X” #punintended. It’s familiar yet evolved. Comfortable yet new. A little bit controversial yet the inner dialogue persists that you belonged here all along.
Meet a Few of My Xesties
To celebrate my reconnection with X, here are a few of my favorite follows on the platform:
- Elon Musk - Love him or hate him, Elon - or Free Speech Daddy as I like to call him - is a great follow with an undeniable sense of humor. He’s literally and figuratively invested in building the best possible platform for all of humanity, so why wouldn’t you be open to what he has to say? He has also stated that he wants to use his visibility to repost more content from people with smaller followings, helping to amplify their message.
- Wellness in Bloom - Not only is she my sister, but she’s also an incredible writer, health advocate, and gifted nurse who shares insights on how to live a healthy life. Her completely organic growth on Instagram (over 100k followers and counting), is a testament to the effectiveness of her content and her approach. She will no doubt build the same type of follower base on X, so get in now while you can.
- Kenny Webster - My conservative leanings are showing, but Kenny Webster has a fantastic voice both on-air and online, providing insightful and hilarious commentary from national politics to local news in Southeast Texas. Sarcastic, tall, and charming – what’s not to love? Also, he lifts.
- Nicole Shanahan - Previously painted by the media as a far-leaning, fringe extremist, Nicole is one of the most measured, brilliant, and sensible figures to rise out of the 2024 election cycle. She is a staunch advocate for health by way of facts and evidence, bringing to light so many truths that will benefit the lives of millions.
- Fael - If your business or personal interest touches anything related to design or fonts, follow Fael’s account for hypnotic videos and well-crafted images of his cutting-edge creative work.
- Mike Benz - If Elon Musk is Free Speech Daddy, Mike Benz is Free Speech Papi. He said on a podcast recently that politics is not his driving force; instead, he believes his life’s purpose is to protect free speech on the Internet. Plus, he lives in Miami - a city close to my heart - and every so often posts videos tickling the ivories. A fearless warrior with a softer side – we love to see it.
- Chef Andrew Gruel - Not only is he a free-thinking, deeply eloquent, liberty-minded wit, but he's also a bad-ass chef and restauranteur. His hot takes span from the circus of US politics to the best practices in making homemade tallow-fried french fries.
X Marks the Spot
Believe it or not, I was worried I wouldn’t have much to say in this blog post. But now over 1200 words later, I’m excited to share my long-winded insights about a social media platform originally designed around a 140 character count limit. Hashtag irony.
So, this article is going to be either a raging success or a total failure. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, I’ll be upping my screen time, hearting my favorite ratioed comments, and finding ways to join the conversation again – all on X. Hope to see you there. ✍️
