Danasia Pascual’s job is to stay abreast of what’s happening across various social media platforms. As a digital media strategist for Get Social RVA, Pascual said she’s paying attention to Musk’s approach.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how the platform changes and how people are showing up either in a new way, or on a completely different platform,” Pascual said.
When it comes to changes in the vetting process, Pascual said it can get dangerous.
“Many social media consumers, ages 12 to 55, use that verification to know the information we’re getting is from a trusted source,” Pascual said. “If someone can pay for that blue sign, we have to question everything we see on social media, we can’t believe what we see.”
Virginia freelance journalist Brandon Jarvis agreed, saying that paying for a verification would allow users with a blue check to look like a credible source, which could contribute to the spread of misinformation.
With over 10,000 followers on his Twitter account, Jarvis uses his platform to inform the public about Virginia politics and public policy.
“It’s really the most useful tool. It’s where I believe the news starts and then spreads to other social media sites and further to newspapers and other publications,” Jarvis said. “I think Twitter is ground zero of news that comes and goes in the world. .”
Pascual said she would like to see Twitter lay out a clear plan for how it will protect users.
“I’m seeing a lot more [inappropriate content] from what I’ve ever seen … that would normally never go on Instagram or Facebook, or any other platform, that have free reign on Twitter. [It’s] just the world we live in now,” said Pascual.
The rise of hate speech on Twitter is prompting some people to leave the platform and take their conversations elsewhere.
Jarvis said that while he does not want to leave Twitter, he is monitoring his followers and considering joining other trusted platforms where users can find his reporting.
As Twitter begins to change, here are some helpful tips to protect your data privacy:
Set up two-factor authentication. This includes getting a temporary code sent to your phone when you sign in to prevent others from accessing your account.
Download your Twitter archive. This allows you to view a snapshot of your Twitter information.
Protect your tweets. If you protect your Tweets, you’ll get a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or decline. Otherwise, your tweets are public by default.
