Is the takeover by Elon Musk causing creatives to abandon Twitter?

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Following Elon Musk's Twitter takeover last October, the company's stocks experienced a sharp 60% drop. However, has this had any impact on how creative individuals utilize the platform? Here are some perspectives from our very own Twitter community.

From the time Creative Boom was established in 2009, we have perceived that the increasing popularity of social media has incredibly influenced the creative sector and the community as a whole. Some of the results weren't exactly beneficial, which is why we've distributed an abundance of pointers and guidance to help you minimize your exposure to social media and still manage to obtain clients.

To be honest, I must admit that I really enjoy utilizing Twitter! It has been an excellent platform for us to communicate with our audience and the artistic world in general about various subjects. Moreover, we utilize it to inform you of new podcasts, articles, and general Creative Boom updates. If you would like to join in on the conversation, do follow us @creativeboom.

If you've been keeping up with news about technology, media, or business, then you might have heard about how Twitter has sparked a lot of debates in recent times. To explain briefly, an unusual billionaire by the name of Elon Musk has taken control of the platform and implemented some major alterations. However, we won't delve too much into the details here.

The primary news stories contain firing many programmers, frequently without proper consideration for the law, and restoring the suspended profiles of contentious personalities like Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, and Kanye West (although Trump has yet to make a comeback and West was banned once again).

A large number of people have responded to the recent alterations by making declarations of leaving Twitter entirely or reducing their usage of the platform. Numerous individuals who examine social media trends have started claiming that Twitter has become silent and is merely a space where people repeatedly echo others.

Honestly, it can be challenging to determine the overall situation since everyone has a different perspective when using Twitter. However, our number of followers is still thriving.

Do you still find Twitter enjoyable and valuable, or are you just delaying the inevitable and contemplating leaving? We surveyed you to find out, and below we have highlighted some of your answers.

"Continuing to see the benefits of a positive experience."

At Creative Boom, we have a can-do attitude, so we'll begin with the optimistic answers. A lot of you appear to believe that Twitter is still relevant in your personal and professional lives. There are different reasons for this.

As an example, Stanley Vaganov, who designs for social change, considers it the most effective approach for generating and trying out concepts for content. "Twitter enables me to articulate my ideas more precisely," he clarifies. "When my notion gains popularity and garners considerable attention, I can use that surge in engagement to generate a blog post or LinkedIn article."

According to some people, Twitter is simply a platform to have a friendly conversation. Marc Diamond, who works as a photographer and LEGO producer, mentioned that he did not have any interest in who had possession of Twitter in the past and he still does not. The actual truth is that he has not come across any other platform that provides the same instant and conversational vibe as Twitter. Therefore, he prefers using it to keep in touch with the creative individuals whom he has always followed. On the other hand, it takes a lot of effort and time to post on Instagram.

According to Ross Middleham, who is in charge of creativity, Twitter is an amazing platform where you can communicate with people who have similar interests in the industry. He also thinks that it's crucial for networking, sharing ideas, and learning about the newest trends and sources of inspiration.

"I receive numerous referrals from it."

According to Mike Hindle, a graphic designer, Twitter is an excellent tool for finding employment opportunities. He continues to enjoy using this social media platform because he finds it to be a beneficial experience. He explains that many of his clients and individuals he is interested in collaborating with are active on Twitter. Furthermore, referrals to his websites from Twitter are always ranked within the top five. With its uncomplicated organic reach, Twitter is probably the simplest platform to stay current with people's activities.

Photographer Paul Treacy shares a real-life scenario wherein he successfully landed an assignment for the Irish Times through a connection he made on Twitter. He believes that this opportunity would not have been possible if it were not for the said platform. Treacy was pleasantly surprised and felt very happy about it. This experience has positively impacted him, and he intends to use social media more effectively in the future.

Donna Gilliard, an artist who creates dolls, is a big fan of Twitter. She thinks it's great for highlighting her work and has found the hashtag events to be very helpful in making new connections and discussing ideas with people who share similar interests. Donna thinks Twitter has improved a lot over time and is really enthusiastic about using it.

Despite many people switching from Twitter to other social media platforms, designer Ilenia Notarangelo is actually leaning towards Twitter. According to her, Twitter is the new go-to platform for sharing content to replace the traditional Instagram feed. With her design studio illo.tv, Notarangelo has been posting frequently on Twitter, showcasing more work-in-progress projects with less preparation and pressure compared to her previous Instagram posts. Furthermore, her Twitter feed has been receiving more creative content than ever before.

Some people are choosing to move away from Twitter lately. This might be due to the changes Elon Musk has made to the platform. Berenice Howard-Smith, a designer, feels that Twitter is not ethical for her business. Although she still has a link to Twitter on her page, she is starting to question whether it's the right choice for her. Luckily, Berenice has been using LinkedIn more frequently, so she would be able to leave Twitter if she needed to. This is especially true if Musk decides to make even more changes that make Twitter unsuitable for her.

Adrian Bauer, an illustrator and art director, is currently feeling conflicted about Twitter. According to him, he has a combination of emotions towards the platform these days. He still considers it to be a remarkable avenue for journalism content. Nonetheless, in recent times, the instability of social media has become apparent, implying that social media platforms cannot be relied on for the long haul. As someone in the creative industry, Adrian believes it is expedient to concentrate on his website instead of relying on social media platforms.

Jonathan Wilcock, a copywriter, expresses his disappointment with Twitter in straightforward terms. He feels sad because he believes that the platform has lost its lively and enjoyable atmosphere. He hardly ever gets to interact with his favorite people on Twitter as he used to, and it makes him contemplate abandoning the platform entirely.

A lot of people are uncertain about the platform and don't know what else to use. Andy Barnham, a portrait photographer, is one of them. He says that he hasn't found any other social media options that compare to it, but he's using it less and less because he doesn't agree with the way it's being run.

Jo is considering leaving, but she hasn't made much progress. "I want to transfer to Spoutible, but I don't really feel like doing it," she confesses. "Even though I registered and everything, I'm exhausted from it all and don't want to begin anew. I was drawn to the concept of having a Twitter-like system without any of the questionable Twitter problems, plus an edit feature! I appreciate that they solicited input from everyone. However, I don't believe anyone is using it."

"I heavily rely on lists and muting."

If you're not satisfied with Twitter and feel like you can't leave, there are ways to cope, according to designer and developer Steve Perry. He suggests utilizing lists and heavily muting for the sake of one's mental health. Perry used to avoid muting so that he didn't end up with a one-sided perspective, but now he mutes negative tweets and moves on. Although he uses Twitter out of necessity, Perry plans to eventually cut it out of his life.

A different approach could be to only utilize Twitter for specific purposes that it does best. Photographer and filmmaker Nick Turpin highlights this by saying, "Twitter is still the most speedy and efficient tool for me to stay updated on industry news and updates. It's also the fastest means to share my latest news and projects. I'm unable to dedicate time to produce or read lengthy content."

According to artist Naava Katz, Twitter is not a one-size-fits-all platform. You can tailor it to your personal needs. For her, she found that once she carefully selected who she followed, she discovered art history accounts that sparked her creativity, challenges with hashtags that improved her portfolio, and direct calls from art directors for new opportunities.

"We break apart the platform and the community."

Some people, such as the team working at SVGator, may feel the need to distinguish between the platform they created and the community they have built. They describe it as similar to the feeling one may experience when a beloved actor who played a cherished character turns out to be someone you don't want to support in real life. In this case, it's possible to still appreciate the character and separate it from the actor's personal behavior.

It's hard to predict what modifications Elon Musk will implement on the platform in the coming days. However, several people advise against overreacting to sensational headlines and exaggerated responses, which are frequently seen on Twitter, of all places.

According to marketer Barney Durrant, many people believe that Twitter has undergone significant changes, but he disagrees. Despite the moral panic that ensued when Elon Musk took over, Durrant asserts that Twitter remains an important social network and is particularly beneficial for B2B clients. However, Durrant warns businesses against solely relying on any single social media platform since they do not own their following or content there. Recent events have shown that rapid changes can occur on social media, emphasizing the importance of investing in owned communities.

The famous designer Vincent Walden states that when the year started, he believed that the place was going to be terrible and he compared it to a scenario created by Elon Musk where everything was going to blow. But now he has modified his opinion because it has turned into a fundamental spot for discussing ideas, giving advice, and developing connections that have allowed him to create some projects. Despite thinking he shouldn't enjoy it, Walden loves spending time on this platform.