Does X Mark the Spot?

Over the past week an armada of “brand experts” raised flags of engagement by blogging, posting and podcasting about a decision to drop, not only a brand but a verb. Their canon fire content, mainly directed at the protagonist Elon Musk, motivated by his announcement to terminate Twitter and introduce a new social media platform. So does 'X' mark the spot? Or is it simply another “cross to bear”.

I was about to get onboard and conscript myself, ready to deliver a salty sea shanty of pithy prose. But I stopped, stepped back, raised a figurative telescope, and considered the bigger storms brewing. As we know there are dark clouds of concern shrouding ALL social media platforms and Twitter often led the way with a propensity to produce huge waves of abuse.

Elon has made no secret of his desire to stake his claim on the high seas of “likes” “DM’s” and “posts” but could it be that his timing is off? His hoped-for ambitions for the repurposed platform may prove harder to get off the ground having clipped the wings of the blue bird.

A couple of months ago, Vivek Murthy the US Surgeon General, released an advisory paper warning?how social media had a measurably negative impact on mental health. The focus of the warning was younger members of the population, with research indicating that spending three hours or more a day on platforms could double the prospect of adolescents experiencing depression and increased levels of anxiety.

Ever since MySpace, MSN Messenger and Facebook et al emerged from the soup of the internet we have been impacted. We've become hooked on the micro moments of affirmation in receiving a 'like' and driven to gather more of the same by building larger followings and sharing every meal that we eat.

I wish to apologise wholeheartedly to my instagram followers and anyone who inadvertently stumbled across the hashtag #standbackdavidscooking

I sense that there will be a move toward rationing our dopamine fixes as generation by generation we get wise to the negative results of “Doom Scrolling” and the equally charming TikTok inspired “Bed Rotting”.? Our mental health is a precious, essential aspect of what determines happiness and taking a break from staring at screen has proven to improve not diminish our wellbeing.

In truth there’s no real treasure to be found “me hearty’s”. ?In my opinion, digging in to discover a newly minted social media site marked with an “X” will only cost the user the price of an expensive shovel. You'll end up spending valuable time you will never get back only to uncover an empty chest containing a once perky but now deceased blue bird or the fragments of a once globally recognised brand.

As with Meta’s “Threads” there will be a large curious band of tweeters who’ll want to see how the site evolves but in reality, it won’t merit huge investment.

I wrote a blog a few years ago where I suggested smartphones were making us stupid. I’m afraid the conclusion I continue to hold is that the greater our usage the dafter we become.?Trust me I’ve had a trip down that rabbit hole.

There are benefits to be had in accessing a source of breaking news, connecting to positive people, sharing messages, having fun, occasionally engaging with a 'celebrity' and enjoying a sense of community which speaks to our humanity. However, becoming obsessed by features, verifications, influencers, GIFs and memes along with competing with fellow users for likes, comments and re-posts, their look, body image and popularity is only going to offer a slippery slope for our moods.

I predict that our future online activities will be with more intimate, niche, community exchanges where ideas and knowledge can be shared in trusted environments free of a clamour for popularity, keyboard warriors and bots.

As for X marking the spot, will I still hold an *ex-bird account??Yes, but only because I will be asked by clients to advise on the most appropriate channels to use. You can hardly offer an informed opinion if you're not actively engaging and testing out the experience for yourself.? I will reserve my primary energy and priority on seeking out new worlds, to baldly go (check out the profile pic, it’s not a spelling mistake) , to explore the alternatives and to encourage others to do the same.

*Elon Musk’s moves strike me as a direct parody of a Monty Python sketch. To parrot phrase; “This bird is a dead, ee’s off the twig, this is an X-Platform.” David Laud