Pulling the Plug on Twitter/X
Moving to Threads (steveroach)
If I had a Tesla, I would sell it. (I do have an EV, but that is beside the point). But I can disconnect from Twitter/ X as a personal protest against a platform and its owner that have gone off the rails. And I have now done just that.
I was an active user on Twitter for only about a year and a half. My publisher encouraged me to do so in an effort to lever the digital marketing of my last book, Accidental Conflict. I was reluctant to post at first, not really sure how to do it and who would read it. But I developed a crude understanding of the Twitter style, and quickly built up a base of followers that eventually exceeded some 15,000.
Initially, I enjoyed the engagement and exchange. Breaking developments on the US-China conflict — the core of my contributions — offered plenty of opportunities to contribute to a frank and honest debate on this key issue. But increasingly, the feedback became laced with vile personal attacks, bot-driven disinformation, and superficial dribble masquerading as engagement. The corrupt politicization of Elon Musk was the final straw. In the end, it was an easy decision to pull the plug.
I have to confess that my brief experiment with Twitter whetted my appetite for short-form engagement via social media. I have tried to do a little of that on LinkedIn, but the feedback has been disappointing. I have attempted to open up a chat-based dialogue on Substack but I have been unsuccessful in figuring that out (any tips would be most welcome).
So, now I am going to give Threads a try to see if that works. As I did on Twitter, I will continue to post on the poltical economy of the US-China conflict, which I believe will be moving into an exciting, and potentially dangerous, new phase in Trump 2.0. If you are so inclined you can reach me on Threads at: steveroach
Thanks very much for your support on Substack, which I will continue to use as my main weekly digital publishing platform that now reaches over 2,000 of you.
My best,
Stephen Roach
Update: I am now also posting on Bluesky. Will give both platforms — Threads and Bluesky— a try and decide which one works best for my purpose of stimulating engagement and debate in all things related to the US-China relationship.
"I have attempted to open up a chat-based dialogue on Substack but I have been unsuccessful in figuring that out (any tips would be most welcome)."
eh this doesn't really exist but some people do chat on the notes feature