The day context came back to Twitter

My purpose here is to point out a logical third option, one that can and should be tested out on a platform such as Twitter. In this approach, a platform would require users to form groups through free association, and then to post only through those groups, with the group’s imprimatur. Why this simple, powerful notion could help us escape the dile... See more

Days after our conversation, I attended a corporate mixer where an investor from a Silicon Valley VC fund told me bluntly, “Community building is dangerous.” We were on the topic of social media, and where moderation comes in. It’s a losing game, which makes it unattractive to investors, he said. For startups trying to pull that off, “it’s more of ... See more

Or take Twitter. As a medium, Twitter nudges its users toward ideas that can survive without context, that can travel legibly in under 280 characters. It encourages a constant awareness of what everyone else is discussing. It makes the measure of conversational success not just how others react and respond but how much response there is. It, too, i... See more

Since the election, thousands have abandoned their X accounts — and while alternatives like Bluesky have seen growth, many people are turning further inward to smaller group chats, via text message or on platforms like Discord, where they can have conversations “free of algorithmic determinations.” (Re: “algorithmic determinations,” I really liked ... See more