Rutgers School of Public Health stops using Twitter

The Rutgers School of Public Health announced on Tuesday that the school would no longer post on Twitter amid the spread of hate speech on the platform. 

The School of Public Health will not delete its Twitter account but will keep it as a digital archive and continue posting to other social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Only the School of Public Health has made this decision while other University-affiliated Twitter accounts have not discontinued their activity on the social media platform, according to an article from Patch.com.  

Perry Halkitis, dean of the School of Public Health, said prejudice and hate could directly impact people’s health and their communities, and the platform allowing this to spread is against the institution's values.

"We, as a school of public health, will not contribute to an entity that actively jeopardizes people’s health by propagating false information and elevating hateful voices," he said.

Michelle Edelstein, director of marketing and communications for the School of Public Health, said the constant changes to and lack of clarity on Twitter's content guidelines led to an increase in hate and discrimination.

These consequences harm individuals' health and contradict the School of Public Health's mission to improve people's well-being, she said.

Halkitis said that in the past, Twitter has been helpful in conducting research and networking for the School of Public Health. Since the site no longer serves this purpose, the school will not return to it, he said.

"Twitter is neither supporting nor contributing to our school’s mission and vision," Edelstein said. "If the issues with Twitter are addressed, we would consider becoming active again."

On October 27, Elon Musk became CEO of Twitter after acquiring the company in April 2022. Musk has come under intense scrutiny over the last few months, including from politicians and staff within the company, according to the article from Patch.com. 

Under Musk's authority, Twitter has reinstated the accounts of several controversial figures accused of spreading hate speech on the platform, including former President Donald J. Trump, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) and comedian Kathy Griffin. 

"As a school that is rooted in the tenets of social justice and health equity, we do not want to be part of a digital community that is rife with unrestricted and unmitigated hate speech and discrimination," Edelstein said.