so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

In 2008, I was at a concert with my son. At the show's conclusion, the lights went on and the satisfied crowd began to make their way toward the exits. In the shuffle, I ran into my friend Kasten, a fellow artist, whom I had not seen in a while. We talked for a few minutes before Kasten asked me if I was on Twitter. Now, I am twenty years older than Kasten and the question sort of jarred me. Was "twitter" some sort of new illicit substance that "the kids" were experimenting with? I sheepishly replied that I didn't think I was "on Twitter." Kasten laughed and clarified her inquiry. She explained that Twitter was a new phone "app" that allowed for immediate, real-time communication and interaction between users and essentially every subscriber to the so-called "twitterverse." Intrigued, I investigated this "twitter" thing and soon I was hooked. And so began my love/hate relationship with Twitter.

Over the past fifteen years, I have had a ball on Twitter. It became another outlet for self-promotion of my artwork. I'd regularly post links to new illustrations, gaining new followers and connecting with some of my contemporaries. Through my love of all things Disney, I connected with a global faction of other Disney lovers, leading to discussions about recent theme park trips and related news and developments regarding the media giant. My interest in taphophilia — that's a fascination with cemeteries and death rituals to you and me — led me to yet another group of folks who share my vison of a perfect afternoon that includes traipsing through a graveyard.

I have even had my share of celebrity interactions, thanks to Twitter. Perhaps you remember my 2013 back-and-forth encounter with Arlene Van Dyke, the spouse of the renowned and beloved actor/dancer. I have even picked up a few celebrity followers throughout my tenure on Twitter, including singer-songwriter Paul Williams, sitcom actress Lydia Cornell and the one-and-only Heinz Doofenshmirtz, arch-villain of "Perry the Platypus" on the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb (one of my proudest Twitter moments). I still can't figure out why or how these celebrated public figures found me.

There have been down sides to Twitter. At one point, I got thrown into "Twitter Jail" for a period of 24 hours. I made a smart-ass comment on an out-of-town news feed that — in the most remote of interpretations — could have been construed as "threatening." I got into some fierce interactions with people who have been offended by my drawings, my opinions and my opinions of their opinions. All in all, Twitter was a hoot and I was there for all the "hootin'."

Recently, I have found myself leaning more towards Instagram and Facebook as my social media outlets of choice. These are more visual platforms and, as an artist, I'm more drawn towards visuals (Ha-ha! "Drawn!") Earlier this year, I began selling t-shirts through the TeePublic website and Instagram and Facebook are the logical choice for promoting my wares.

New owner of Twitter... er.... X

Suddenly, in a scene reminiscent of a comic book storyline, an evil, twisted genius set his sights on taking over the world — beginning with Twitter. Not content with being an elitist in the field of automobile manufacturing, this Lex Luthor wannabe was hellbent on purchasing Twitter. First, he balked. Then the deal collapsed. Then it was back on until the purchase finally went through. Immediately, he turned Twitter from the circus it was (from a Barnum & Bailey standpoint) into the real circus it was to become — as though it was one of those foreboding abandoned carnivals depicted on episodes of Scooby Doo.  Under the new ownership, Twitter was rampant with hate speech, homophobia, xenophobia, antisemitism — if there was a hate group anxious to spew an unfounded, vitriolic message, they were offered a welcome home and ready platform on Twitter.

Fuck this guy

Other changes were a-brewing at the new Twitter. First, there was the name change. The worldwide brand  was changed to the ominous "X." The globally recognized bluebird icon was replaced by the 24th letter of the alphabet. The word "tweet" - whose addition to the lexicon took it from the sound a bird makes to an entry on a renowned microblogging web presence - became meaningless upon the name-change. The new owner has proposed the elimination of the "blocking" feature, opening an individual's feed to anyone, including those with whom that individual may not desire an interaction. Then, he started reinstating formerly banned users... including a hate-spewing, malevolent, lying, disgraced, twice-impeached, four-time indicted former president who has been charged with 91 criminal counts.

This was the last straw. I was finished with Twitter... or X.... or whatever it was calling itself this week. 

I'm still on Instagram and Facebook. I'm even on Threads, Mark Zuckerberg's foray into the microblogging universe. Threads enjoyed a flurry of activity upon its launch. It looked as though it was a formable contender in toppling Twitter's.... I mean X's.... stronghold on social media. However, the popularity of Threads has seemed to have waned and I find it to be an afterthought when posting on social media. Oh yeah.... Threads. I interacted with Eve Plumb ("Jan" on The Brady Bunch) on Threads recently, so there's that.

Nevertheless, I'm done with Twitter.... or X. My 543 followers can find me elsewhere, if they are really interested. 

I'm talking to you, Doofenshmirtz.

www.joshpincusiscrying.com