Posted in: Comics | Tagged: elon musk, twitter

What Comics Folk Tweet On Twitter About Quitting Twitter

JH Williams III asked on Twitter "Are we about to see the beginning of the great apocalyptic exodus from Twitter?" The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk for the kind of sum that could solve world hunger has caused a few people to worry about their place in the social media network.

A number have quit Twitter months ago, such as Donny Cates, Chip Zdarsky, James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder as part of their switch to Substack (though they do come back for an occasional retweet) as well as others such as Mark Millar, and Gerry Duggan. But two weeks ago, Erik Larsen tweeted "The day Elon Musk buys Twitter is the day I delete my account and leave Twitter. Nothing good can come from Elon Musk buying Twitter." Yesterday, he deleted his Twitter account. Others are taking a less scorched Earth approach. Here are a few examples from comic book creators, publishers editors and shop owners.

Patrick Zircher: Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take a 4 month break from Twitter. See how it feels. See you at the end of August.

Mitch Gerads: I have very complicated feelings about leaving Twitter. I genuinely love my time here and I get so much enjoyment from interacting with the vast majority of you. But if the new rules are no accountability for things you put out there, then I'm out. I just can't be a part of it.

Sanford Greene: Look… I like the access to @Twitter ..but I DO NOT NEED it… I was fine before I joined this platform and will be just fine if I leave it.

Darick Robertson:  If Musk does buy Twitter and ruins it for everyone as feared, I remember how I got off Facebook back in 2013 and don't miss it. I'm sure if this gets bad here, there will be something else.

Allison O'Toole: I'll be sad if we all have to leave Twitter since there isn't necessarily a better alternative BUT, as an editor: artists, I need you to set up a portfolio website and keep it updated with sequentials, recent sketches, a list of projects AND easily-accessible contact info.

Jen Bartel: Building a community wasn't easy even before twitter, but now it actually takes a *herculean effort*—and that's by design. As long as social media is for-profit, it'll always follow a trajectory that has the end goal of isolating each user into their own private hamster wheel.

Joshua Dysart: So where do we go from here? What's our best bet post Twitter? I have a facebook account, but I visit it about twice a month, just to promote, that'll be how I handle Twitter from here on out too. What's the next step. Where will we all meet when they close this mall, kids?

Tom Taylor: I'll stick around, so long as it doesn't get too toxic. I mean, I could move to one of those more ethical social media platforms like… um… ? Also, living in Australia, twitter is the easiest way to feud with @GailSimone

Gail Simone: Well, I've done an in-depth financial analysis of Elon Musk's takeover of twitter and I'd like to share my thoughts with you. HOLY FURKY FURK THAT NERD'S GOT BIG COIN AND NO SENSE KAPOW WTF WHAT Thank you, I hope you found this helpful.

Scott Snyder: I can't believe we soon might be nostalgic about current twitter.

Rob Liefeld: Very excited for a fresh outlook at Twitter!

Lilah Sturges: My thinking: I will stay on Twitter for as long as it remains viable, for the sake of my writing career, but if it becomes untenable to do so I will go elsewhere, wherever that may be.

Zac Gorman: Artists, if you need twitter, please don't shoot yourself in the foot. Diversify where you post, figure out new pools to dip your toe in, sure, but that takes time. Take a breath

Jimmy Palmiotti: If you are leaving Twitter, let me know.

Chuck Satterlee: I just got my twitter to a point where it is helping. Plus, I enjoy comics twitter immensely. I like everybody. Do we need a group exit strategy in the event that things go south? (TBH, I don't think it is going to go South, but… just in case?)

Michael Avon Oeming: Everyone is like I'm leaving Twitter- but IG knowingly runs algorithms they know drives kids to suicide and FB almost destabilized the country and undermined democracy… that's where people are going for a better experience?

Reilly Brown: I'll give Elon a shot to see if things actually go south or not.

Marv Wolfman: Use Twitter for you own needs and purposes. It doesn't matter who owns it – who owns it now ? – if you get what you want it for. As long as it remains free.

Mike Collins: By what metric do we judge Musk's 'genius' @mrjamesob? Essentially, anything we attribute to him he's just bought off smarter people. Tesla isn't his role model- it's Edison. He's a rich stoner who purchases glory.

Pete Woods: So you're Elon Musk and you just paid $44 billion for Twitter. Are you gonna go through the DMs of people you don't like? Maybe look for a little blackmail material?

Chris Conroy: Take it from someone who's been on Twitter since a month after it was born: the past couple years have absolutely been the single best time for the platform, and if this is what Elon Musk thinks is the wrong direction, you should not be flippant about "oh, no one will leave"

Larry Docherty: Just heard from a friend that more than half Twitter employees are "f-cking psyched" that @elonmusk just bought company. Like most places half the workforce has just been silently enduring batsh-t crazy SJW's.

Mike Norton: Elon Musk just paid 46 billion to try and kick Johnny Lawrence out of a Receda strip mall.

JH Williams III: Are we about to see the beginning of the great apocalyptic exodus from Twitter?

Gary Spencer Millidge: I think it's probably best to wait it out. If it all turns terrible (or even more terrible) then an alternative will present itself organically. Don't really see the logic in jumping ship immediately.

JH Williams III: Yup. But I certainly feel Musk is misguided on his voiced desire of letting this platform devolve again. Leading back to the horrible things. And the timing of that, if it occurs, could really stir up things in disastrous ways for public safety and health, and electoral outcomes.

Gary Spencer Millidge: Absolutely, but I'm not sure leaving the platform is necessarily the best way to combat that. It would be great if a mass boycott lead to the the collapse of twitter, but I'm sceptical that would happen. Perhaps it's better to fight for what's right from inside the bubble.

Alex Segura: welp

Gerry Conway: Welp, I'd like to say it was nice while it lasted, but let's be honest, Twitter has never been nice.

Mark Evanier: It's so frustrating. Every time I try to bid on something lately, Elon Musk snipes in and takes it away from me.

Tess Fowler: If Musk takes over I'm not sure if I can stay. Please follow my Instagram if you want to keep up with me/what projects I'm working on. I'll use that platform much more if I end up having to abandon this one. On the plus side it's easier to have more personal interaction there.

Andy Khouri: Why did Musk buy Twitter? To annoy liberals, to be the main character, to drain your brain like Trump; where every hour of every day was invaded by that psychic parasite. I'm not leaving, but I'm not playing that game again. To be reductive but also real: don't feed the troll.

Darick Robertson:  If anyone is worried about staying in touch with me, post Musk-Twitter, I will be posting a place to find me. I appreciate everyone who follows me here and the contacts I've made. I've even met some of my heroes and connected. It's sad that so many of us feel robbed now. #bully $

Joe Caramagna: Now we're worried that Elon Musk might ruin an app that most people already referred to as a cesspool?

Chris Conroy: The problem with current Twitter is that as a product it is essentially mature; the users who are gonna use it have found it. Tech bros hate maturity. Musk wants to "de-mature" it — crack it open, change it, and find a bigger user base.

Reilly Brown: I'm curious about Elon's Musk's plans for Twitter. It sounds like he wants to just let anyone get away with saying whatever would be a nightmare (more so than the platform already is), but I'm guessing it's not his goal to just turn it into 4Chan. Or maybe it is?

Mateus Santolouco: So… is everybody leaving twitter already? I mean, I barely get any interactions here anyway. Would be just one less place to post art… which was never the point of this platform whatsoever.

Bryan Q. Miller: 1) Are we leaving Twitter? 2) Where are we going?

Fred Van Lente: Someone just posted I am leaving Twitter, instead subscribe to my newsletter on the totally unproblematic Substack, and I legit LOL'd

Augie De Blieck Jr.:  Bwah ha ha. People leaving Twitter to retreat to their —- Facebook group?!? Because Zuckerberg is their new hero?!? The world is a nutty place.

Pete Woods: We could solve homelessness in the US tomorrow if someone could figure out how to charge sales tax on this Twitter thing.

Andrew Wheeler: I have a plan to buy back Twitter, I just need some help inventing cheese-flavoured chewing gum.

Tom Brennan: It's not that I don't respect other people who choose to leave Twitter, it's that I used to work for the Walt Disney corporation so there's only so holier than thou I can be in the face of an evil rich guy.

David Brothers: if you quit twitter, you'll never get a chance to DM me love confessions and thirst traps, so maybe hold your horses for a second and think about things before you make a rash decision that you can't take back

Greg Pak: Seeing a drop in followers. Are people actually deleting Twitter or is Twitter doing a bot purge?

Alex Woodroe: You'd be surprised how many of us get stuck in the mindset that our most connected social area must also be the best place to sell. And wooh, that ain't it

Russell Nohelty:  I launch 10 books a year and have never, ever, ever had more than a few sheckles come from Twitter. Facebook is better, but most sales either come from the platform I'm selling on or my newsletter, my a wide margin. Twitter sucks for sales.

Jody Houser: Twitter definitely has problems. Though I've avoided much of the harassment and ugliness that too many of my friends have faced, I've certainly dealt with some of it as well. The rapid spread of misinformation is a huge issue, especially when people suffer because of it. But the joy and beauty of Twitter and social media in general is that we get to meet people we might never encounter otherwise. And those relationships that form can be life changing. Life saving. That's what I really hope we don't lose as platforms come and go and change.

Lilah Sturges: If we all leave Twitter I say we go back to what started it all in the late 90s: online journals, those things ruled

Kevin Mellon: maybe i'm wrong, but some of some of y'all are taking a real interesting stand on twitter, considering who owns IG, FB, tiktok, etc.

Matthew Dow Smith: Every time a comic book creator says they're leaving Twitter, their editor gets a promotion.

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