At one point, Twitter was the epicenter of Black culture online. Follower counts were a form of social currency—first 1,000, then 10,000, and eventually 20,000 became the benchmark of true influence. From this emerged “Black Twitter,” a powerful cultural hub that shaped conversations, news, and entertainment, earning media attention and even a dedicated docuseries. For years, Twitter was the go-to platform for Black communities to connect, mobilize, and amplify their voices.
Everything shifted when Elon Musk took control of Twitter. The billionaire, known for aligning with Donald Trump’s controversial rhetoric, purchased the platform for $44 billion in October 2022. Just 48 hours after his takeover, racial slurs on the site spiked by 500%. Musk rebranded the platform as “X” and controversially reinstated Trump, despite his history of racist tweets. Black users were outraged, and as Columbia professor Jelani Cobb remarked in The New Yorker, Twitter had become a space that “subsidizes a billionaire who believes free speech is synonymous with the right to abuse others.”
In response, many Black users sought alternatives. Meta’s Threads saw a surge in sign-ups, while Spill—a platform created by two former Twitter employees, Alphonzo Terrell and DeVaris Brown—offered a new space specifically catering to Black users. With other platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon gaining traction, the question now is: why stay on X? As the landscape shifts, it may be time for Black Twitter to evolve, looking toward digital spaces that prioritize not just safety, but intelligence and empowerment.
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