{"668963":{"#nid":"668963","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Talking With Andr\u00e9 Brock About Black Twitter\u2019s Fate on X","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDon\u2019t count Black Twitter out just yet.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe online community that has \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Egiven Black Americans an unmediated, and often powerful, voice in the day\u2019s news and politics for more than a decade has been declared dead in more than \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2023\/08\/06\/musk-black-twitter-spill\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eone recent headline\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E, the victim of numerous changes by the platform\u2019s new owner, Elon Musk.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThen came the \u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;q=\u0026amp;esrc=s\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;cd=\u0026amp;cad=rja\u0026amp;uact=8\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwiv79q-jtCAAxV-lokEHZ9WBEoQFnoECCoQAQ\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2023%2F08%2F09%2Fus%2Fmontgomery-boat-dock-fight-what-we-know%2Findex.html\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw3NcLR3R8De0B80D9TDtkcH\u0026amp;opi=89978449\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlabama boat brawl\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt only really made it to the national papers because of how Black Twitter really went hard on it and made all these memes and songs and videos and skits about it,\u201d says \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAndr\u00e9 Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and an expert on Black Twitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E. \u201cBy the end of the weekend, many people were saying, \u2018Black Twitter will never die. I\u2019m not leaving here ever.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cAnd so, it\u2019s a really interesting moment to be hearing people realizing once again that this is a life-giving space, even though it has all these problems.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMusk has made innumerable changes that have prompted some longtime users to scale back or abandon use of the platform.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELike many others disillusioned with the platform\u2019s sudden changes, glitches, and a \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/02\/technology\/twitter-hate-speech.html\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eresurgence of hate content\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E fueled by account restorations and scaled-back moderation policies, some Black Twitter users also are exploring other sites, Brock says.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFrom Mastodon to Meta\u2019s Threads app to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey\u2019s BlueSky, some are trying out new sites. But, Brock says, many are finding the newcomers lack the same community feel as Black Twitter or that they may have worse problems than X.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThese other places are trying hard. But I haven\u2019t yet identified anything compelling enough to get me to check it regularly,\u201d Brock said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMost Black Twitter Users Aren\u2019t Leaving\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EInstead, like the neighborly residents of a run-down apartment building nervously wondering what their new building owner is up to, Brock says most Black Twitter users feel this is their community, and you\u2019re not going to get rid of them that easily.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cYou know there are going to be rough times ahead, but you\u2019re not going to move. This is where your kids go to school. This is where your social networks are. So you prepare for rough times, which is a hallmark of Black life in the United States.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m being oppressed any more than usual,\u201d Brock said, \u201cIt\u2019s just that I know that the landlord is not going to take care of the air conditioning or the pest control.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cBut I\u2019m not pessimistic or even fatalistic. Optimism isn\u2019t quite the right word. I\u2019m resolute,\u201d he said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA \u2018Digital Diaspora\u2019\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn his \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/elon-musk-black-twitter-future-rcna93458\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Erecent MSNBC commentary\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E on the situation, Brock called the movement of some prominent Black Twitter users a \u201cdigital diaspora\u201d that\u2019s forced users, including himself, to rebuild their information networks and once again look to multiple platforms for trusted information.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBut he says that diaspora is, for now at least, \u201ca trickle, not a flood.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMore will leave, he\u2019s sure. But, he says, it will be years, at least until after the next U.S. presidential election, before the power of Black Twitter crumbles. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI\u2019m so angry at all the \u2018Black Twitter\u2019s Dying\u2019 headlines because it\u2019s still vital. It\u2019s just not as strong as it once was.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Black Twitter\u0027 may be weaker in the Elon Musk \u0027X\u0027 era, but it\u0027s still a force, Andr\u00e9 Brock says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0027Black Twitter\u0027 may be weaker in the Elon Musk \u0027X\u0027 era, but it\u0027s still a force, Andr\u00e9 Brock says."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2023-08-15 13:57:08","changed_gmt":"2023-08-16 15:20:57","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671373":{"id":"671373","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9 Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAndr\u00e9 Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1692018000","gmt_created":"2023-08-14 13:00:00","changed":"1691707789","gmt_changed":"2023-08-10 22:49:49","alt":"Andr\u00e9 Brock sits in front of a window filled with the reflections of lights","file":{"fid":"254409","name":"brock169.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/10\/brock169.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/10\/brock169.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1474584,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/10\/brock169.JPG?itok=gf-uQ28Z"}}},"media_ids":["671373"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1283","name":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}