As a freelancer, Twitter has been a crucial platform for me to find new opportunities. However, recent news of its supposed decline and Elon Musk's takeover has left me worried about the future. While the fate of Twitter remains uncertain, it's important to acknowledge that we're at the mercy of the platform owners. As freelancers, we're not the only ones who rely on Twitter for our work - journalists, activists, and politicians all depend on it too. To navigate this uncertainty, I've adopted a two-part strategy: diversifying my social media presence across multiple platforms and continuing to utilize Twitter while acknowledging its potential instability. I now regularly post on Instagram, Mastodon, Post, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok as well.
As someone who relies on Twitter for promoting my work and engaging with clients, I've found the recent exodus caused by Elon Musk's comments about the platform to be frustrating. While I understand the desire to diversify and promote myself on other platforms, I'm not giving up on Twitter anytime soon.
In fact, I've invested in Twitter Blue for two-factor authentication to avoid getting locked out of my account, which has happened multiple times in the past. Though I initially hoped Twitter Blue would boost my tweets, I've found that the platform's algorithm is now more similar to TikTok's, where only some of my posts get widespread visibility.
To avoid losing contact with professional connections who may leave the platform, I've made an effort to collect their information and find ways to stay in touch beyond Twitter. While we can't predict the future of any social media platform, it's important to stay adaptable and continue building connections in case our current methods of communication become obsolete.