Thread by @bomani_jones

yanno, it's funny you mention that. i have some thoughts and some time. allow me to meander a bit. a thread shall commence.

https://twitter.com/SuckaDucka509/status/1044723838716506112

over the last few months, i've asked a few times "why are we still here?" about twitter. it's been rhetorical and, obviously, i'm still here. i don't tweet as much, but i'm still here. that's even though i don't find it particularly enjoyable and struggle to find others who do.

but after watching that museum thing happen, i kinda think we need to really ask ourselves what we're on here for. cuz that seemed like a lot of people who were #onhere for different reasons, and they all came together and exploded.

(and if you've asked my opinion on that, i'll tell you this -- 10:30 that morning, i hit @DjChubbESwagg on dm and said to walk away for a while because there wasn't gonna be any real winning that fight. so if i told *him* it wasn't worth it, it damn sure ain't worth it for me.)

@DjChubbESwagg anyway, i got on here this afternoon during high noon. my day was long, the weather stinks, and i'm a little surly. so of course, i argued with ryan fitzpatrick defenders. in part because i find them ridiculous, i couldn't help myself, and surly. not a good look, but alas.

@DjChubbESwagg like, in that moment, i could identify why i was on here and what it had me doing. i'm not sure i ever paid much attention to that. and even at my most argumentative, i'm typically not in a bad mood on here. i know this may shock you, but that's the truth. i can just be a jerk.

anyway, when i caught up on the museum thing, i really looked and wondered...why are they here? just as i ask myself.

cuz that couldn't have been fun for anyone. there was nothing to gain. there were no jokes. and it wasn't like this was over a comment by a public figure.

and, btw, it all started with a tweet in all caps, which i thought was the universal signal that something wasn't to be taken that seriously. like, imagine twitter being on fire over a whole day cuz of mero.

but what's the draw of any of these massive communal arguments? maybe it's the fact that twitter is the only place where everyone can scream at once. you never have to wait your turn, and it almost doesn't matter if no one hears you. everyone gets a trip to the plate. i dunno.

and look: i know i say all this as someone who has gotten in more fights on here than damn near anyone. and i admit that i enjoyed most of them. sh t was light work.

none of it feels like light work on here anymore. at least not to me.

i was once on here definitely to build a brand. i've probably reached the ceiling on doing that here. i'm not even sure how easy it is to do that on twitter anymore, as people's timelines have become pretty set after years and years on here.

for me, at least, i used to learn a lot on here, and found there were nuanced and engaging conversations to be had on lots of topics i wasn't aware of. but i feel like there's more signaling here than anything else. could be wrong, but there's more to hear but less to listen to.

but i'm on here every day. less, but i'm still here. it's just kinda wild, for me, to think of how i saw twitter maybe five years ago, as an amazing tool i could use to do so many things at once, but now look at it and struggle to come up with a good reason we keep doing this.

that said, i've got a big account. maybe this is just the trade. it may be better for ppl keep a fairly intimate circle. but y'all seem to be screaming all the time, too.

anyway, i do seriously wonder what keeps a lot of people here when ppl don't seem to happy to be here.

oh, one last thing on the museum: one thing i learned wading through tweets was some people still think that either a verified check means something or that people who have them think they mean something.

lemme tell ya somethin...they'll give that check to damn near anybody.

i was being vain one day and clicked on my list of followers, and i filtered it to verified. it ain't exactly the hollywood walk of fame. i don't know what the standard is, but it ain't as big a hurdle as it once was.

here's my question: in 2018, how many new friends are you making? that's not a rhetorical question. i just wonder, if you've been here for years, how many new people you're getting cool with.

https://twitter.com/bo_fov/status/1044729683844222976