There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter

“One former Twitter employee I spoke with described this next phase in grim terms: It’s “the end of Black Twitter and Black people at Twitter.”” And so far, the replacements don’t come close.  #Twitter [Link]

The long-awaited US broadband internet maps are here — for you to challenge

These broadband maps are an important inclusion issue - and here we’re still talking availability rather than accessibility. Right now some of the most vulnerable in society are left offline.  #Technology [Link]

Eli Lilly CEO says insulin tweet flap “probably” signals need to bring down cost

“"It probably highlights that we have more work to do to bring down the cost of insulin for more people,” Ricks said of the Twitter fury.” Amazing that this is what they needed.  #Health [Link]

Octavia Butler’s Science Fiction Predicted the World We Live In

“What readers, fans and scholars often note about Butler’s work is its predictive qualities: Her vision about the climate crisis, political and societal upheaval and the brutality and consequences of power hierarchies seems both sobering and prescient.” She was brilliant. And this tribute is beautifully done.  #Culture [Link]

The lost thread

“The speed with which Twitter recedes in your mind will shock you. Like a demon from a folktale, the kind that only gains power when you invite it into your home, the platform melts like mist when that invitation is rescinded.”  #Twitter [Link]

Twitter as representation of the relevance and value of “Word People” in oral culture

“It’s interesting to divide the internet into Word People and Image People because the Internet is a modern evolution of oral culture — and technological/bandwidth limitations have enabled text to serve as the leading means to transfer information online up till now.”  #Twitter [Link]

The unbearable lightness of BuzzFeed

“In 2016, BuzzFeed stories posted on the platform had 329 million engagements; by 2018, that number had fallen to less than half. Last year, BuzzFeed posts received 29 million engagements, and this year is shaping up to be even worse.” I had no idea it had fallen so far.  #Media

Most media predicted a red wave. Here’s how The 19th got the election right.

“The media missed the concerns and the motivations of many voters and failed to capture the full electorate. At The 19th, we remained focused on you.” I’m proud, as always, to work here.  #Media [Link]

What’s Twitter’s Future? The Former Head of Trust And Safety Weighs In

“It was for this reason that I chose to leave the company: A Twitter whose policies are defined by edict has little need for a trust and safety function dedicated to its principled development.”  #Twitter [Link]

‘People underestimated them’: Advocates for Black women in politics want the Democratic Party to learn from the midterms

“We need early investments for these Black women candidates – Black candidates in general – but especially for Black women, who we know receive less financial contributions than a White woman or a White man running for these positions.”  #Democracy [Link]

Tech Titans Like Elon Musk Want to Save Earth by Having Tons of Children

“We are the Underground Railroad of 'Gattaca' babies and people who want to do genetic stuff with their kids.” Go ahead and tell me this isn’t white supremacy.   #Society [Link]

John Fetterman and Social Media: How His Campaign Built a Winning Strategy

“The entire time I was running this program, I was like, “This is going to be a presidential-[campaign] level team in the content we produce and money we raise and folks who organize.” I do think it will be an example for other campaigns. I hope what we do