PARK: Give us Twitter back
Column: The Queue
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022, the app has gone through a rebrand, a layoff crisis and monetary issues. The bluebird and iconic sound effect we know and love are now a thing of the past on X, formerly known as Twitter, but I seem to be the only one mourning it.
The tech and digital world works fast, and Generation Z is truly on top of it. Known for the rise of being "iPad kids" and their activity on TikTok, I would not say Generation Z was the app's top demographic.
Most of Twitter's audience and users were recorded to be between 35 and 44 years old, or what most would consider millennials. But I, a 20-year-old college student, and others like me find ourselves on the rebranded app all the same. X now reaches 70 percent of 18 to 25-year-olds.
I will admit I get a fair share of my world news from X, as it is a convenient place to get information in seconds. But what I loved most about the app before Musk's rebranding was its ability to allow casual discourse.
Whether that be some random person's 2 a.m. shower thoughts or this really great tweet circa 2016, it was an app that broke barriers between people and celebrities alike. It was simple, and you, as a user, could be as engaged or disengaged in the conversations as you would like.
Today, Musk has not only greatly restructured the app we all knew and loved by changing terms (what once was a tweet is now up for debate for a new term), but also added a new paid subscription element, and the type of content is vastly different.
Monetization is good if you are Musk or a business with their ads on X, but the obsession with monetizing everything is beyond me.
Ten years ago, tweets would be made up of random thoughts and phrases or maybe small celebrity spiffs. Today, they are filled with advertisements, political propaganda and campaigns. What we used to find entertaining and interesting is now being taken away, and adding money to the equation only makes things worse.
Companies are obsessed with making things that were once a free enjoyment marketable. Everything, whether that be your morning routine or the football game playing next Sunday, needs to be promoted. And we all know that once money gets involved, it becomes a job.
X is not the right place for influencers to grow their business when Instagram is already thriving. Brand activism and awareness are great strategies to grow on social media, but the dump of promoted tweets in my feeds makes me exit the app immediately.
If companies want to stand out, they should actually use their character limit on sharing their initiatives, whether that be to be more sustainable or that they support specific movements like #BlackLivesMatter. That is what makes people want to click on a tweet and share it.
For so long, Twitter thrived off the idea that it was an app that provided a voice. Let us be honest — the loudest voices we saw on Twitter were beyond bold.
Take former President Donald J. Trump, for example. He was a prominent Twitter user, both before and during his presidency. Growing up seeing that kind of voice portrayed on social media definitely deterred me from being active on the app for a while.
The dichotomy between what the app used to be and what it is turning into is on a downward spiral. I mentioned how Twitter's main audience was made up of millennials. While they and older generations dominate the platform, would it not be wise for social media apps like Twitter to change and cater to younger generations and those who might not already be enticed to use the app?
The world says Generation Z needs to find their voice and be vocal about social issues, politics and more. Then let us.
It is well known that Generation Z and social media go hand in hand. As college students, I think it is very important for us to stay engaged in cultural and societal discourse that happens daily. A platform like X can be utilized in a very different light than the way it is trending now.
It already exists and has created this culture of comfortability to talk about the things we are passionate about, as well as this ambiance of casualness to vent and unwind and have a bit of a joke. The politically directive content and headlines prone to clickbait are an unwarranted scare tactic for us.
As Generation Z, we want to join in on the conversations that are happening. So, bring back Twitter — it will be a nicer place.
Annabel Park is a junior at Rutgers Business School, majoring in supply chain management and minoring in economics. Her column, "The Queue," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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