Twitter

With the New Twitter, the Right Wing Disinfo is Coming from the Top

by Donald Moynihan

"Musk often refers to himself as moderate or independent, but he routinely treats far-right fringe figures as people worth taking seriously—and, more troublingly, as reliable sources of information."

I'm a History Professor with 139 Followers. Why Did Elon Ban Me From Twitter?

by Kenneth Osgood

(It was because I called him a "bologna face".)

Why Washington Can't (or Won't) Quit Twitter

Tech historian Margaret O'Mara says that the social platform keeps work-addicted (and sometimes gossipy) politicos connected all the time, making it both an emotional and instrumental necessity. 

#AcademicTwitter Isn't Collapsing – At Least Not Yet

Twitter heavyweight Kevin Kruse says there is a danger that proposed changes to account verification could erode trust on the site, which could make him bail out. Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Mark Anthony Neal note many scholars like them have invested too much in their networks to make the decision lightly.

Musk: A Vapid Mind Boosted by Wealth and Ego

by Siva Vaidhyanathan

What happens when an unserious person has serious power over public discourse? We must take Musk more seriously than he seems to take anything himself. 

Trying to Change Twitter's Content Moderation is Going to Disappoint Elon Musk

by Evelyn Douek

Musk is delusional if he thinks that Twitter can function without moderation. The problem this highlights is the ability of a small number of billionaires to make the decisions that shape the contemporary public sphere. 

Josh Hawley’s Virtual Reality

Writer Gilad Edelman says that Josh Hawley's book twists the history of antitrust policy to fit the needs of today's Republican culture war against the social media giants. 

Has Twitter Changed How History Will See This Era?

Carole McGranahan, a professor of history and anthropology, says that social media need to be taken seriously as sources of insight into the actions of prominent and anonymous people alike, and need to be preserved as sources.

Dalton State Professor Takes Heat for Tweets; College Doesn't Plan Discipline

A Dalton State (GA) history professor regrets his word choice in a series of tweets that was publicized by an anonymous user who sought disciplinary action by the college. Seth Weitz insists that he teaches history in the classroom, which involves challenging beliefs held by many of his students. 

Are Your Tweets Historic? Meet the Librarians Who Decide.

The Library of Congress's Web Department works to archive tweets and ephemeral websites that are significant to today's society so they are not lost to history. 

He’s Sharing the History of Black New York, One Tweet at a Time

Oluwanisola “Sola” Olosunde is an urban planning graduate student whose Twitter feed is a chronicle of the everyday life of Black New York. He helped bring to light a recent viral video of white Queens residents yelling racist abuse at young Black girls during a period of resistance to desegregation in the 1970s.

Twitter Has Shut Down Former KKK Leader David Duke's Account

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the suspension saying the account has been "permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct."

Social Media's Holocaust Denials Are No 'Mistake' — They're Hate Speech

by Greg Schneider

It’s long past time for all social media companies to reflect on their role in enabling the hate speech proliferating on their platforms.

Trump says Pelosi is worst House speaker in history. Twitter remembers Dennis Hastert.

Disgraced former House speaker Dennis Hastert’s name was trending on Twitter Saturday morning after President Trump suggested “Nancy Pelosi will go down as the absolute worst Speaker of the House in U.S. History!”

Academic Twitter's Gender Imbalance

Female academics have about half the followers of men on Twitter and wield otherwise diminished influence there, according to a new study. The analysis pertains to medicine, but women across fields say the findings ring true.

Sondland Sings: Here's How Historians Are Responding

What historians are saying, tweeting and retweeting.

Bret Stephens launches a foolish Twitter war

by David M. Perry

Being called a bedbug just isn't a big deal. Writing to a provost about the actions of an academic on Twitter, which Stephens said he did because "managers should be aware" how "their people...interact in the world," is the big deal. 

‘Uncharted Territory’: For Historians Navigating Online Hate, a Scholarly Association Offers a Map

The harassment directed toward scholars online isn’t slowing down.

Karin Wulf on Why History Hashtags on Twitter are Inherently Inclusive

by Aleisha Smith

Dr. Wulf also discusses what she's working on now, the importance of Women Also Know History, and the success of the Black Perspectives blog. 

Tenure, Twitter and Taking Her Board to Task

Historian at U of Minnesota "celebrates" tenure with a scathing critique of her governing board's recent actions against a building-renaming proposal. She says she couldn't have risked these statements without job security.