As we enter the new year, many of us evaluate our digital habits. Coming out of the holiday break, the same question often surfaces: Which social media platforms deserve our time, and where should we cut back? Specifically, should I stay on Twitter, or is it finally time to leave?
This got me reflecting on what Twitter originally was: how I first discovered it, how it scaled to hundreds of millions of users, and how it eventually deteriorated into the aggressive social network we see today.
The Promise of the Past
Twitter used to be a fresh take on social media. It was built on the promise of microblogging: 140 characters, no native support for images or videos, and strict limitations that forced users to be creative. You had to think about what to say and exactly how to say it.
One defining difference was the ability to connect without formal barriers. There was no “add a friend” requirement. This technical simplicity led to a vibrant community that invented its own content formats and built an entire ecosystem of third-party apps.
It was fascinating to watch it grow into a global phenomenon and establish itself as a major player in the social landscape, even if it was never a highly successful business in terms of profit. Many CEOs tried to turn the ship around by experimenting with new content and ad formats, but none truly succeeded.
The Reality of Today
Ultimately, this instability led to the hostile takeover by Elon Musk, and from there, it went downhill fast. Today, Twitter has become a platform that prioritizes right-wing agendas and makes it nearly impossible to escape the constant narrative of the world’s richest man.
Opening the app today feels less like a town square and more like a digital tabloid, filled with AI slop, hate speech, and a “witch hunt” mentality. The integration of the AI assistant Grok only seems to contribute to this demise.
So, should you or your brand remain active on Twitter in 2026? Given the current state of the platform, you can likely answer that question for yourself now.
