On Sunday, Netflix had a fan meltdown when it failed to air a live Love is Blind reunion as scheduled. When it was clear that the show was a bust, with Netflix apologizing to waiting viewers, the blog MadameNoire was there to compile the best of reactions from Black Twitter, a catch-all name for African-American voices amplified on the platform.
"But if my payment was late, it'd be a problem," wrote @Dvrryl, while @GilluisPerez_ responded, "Ok. So I would like the ring back."
If there's drama or humor to be mined out of news and entertainment, Black Twitter is still there to weigh in, hilariously. But for the last six months, culture watches have been worried that the turmoil at Twitter caused by Elon Musk's takeover, layoffs at the company, and an overall sense of its waning influence as advertisers bail and users get frustrated, has raised the question: Should we be worried for Black Twitter?
Related: Remembering the Funniest Night in Twitter History
Since November, NPR's "It's Been a Minute" podcast, The Guardian and Marketplace have reported on worry that the downfall of the bird app might bring down Black Twitter with it.
Now, even publications continue to celebrate the best of Black Twitter, Digiday reports that Black Twitter has become a powerful marketing force and voice on politics and social change, from amplifying Black Lives Matter posts to turning products like Popeye's chicken sandwich into viral sensations.
But with hate speech rising on Twitter, Musk making verified badges purposeless, and what former employees say is deprioritization of marginalized voices, Black Twitter's influence may be in jeopardy.
According to ad agencies Dididay spoke to, Twitter is losing its influence on multicultural audiences and Black Twitter is losing powerful voices like Shonda Rhimes, Toni Braxton, and Whoopi Goldberg, with many other users going to TikTok or Instagram, with ad dollars following them.
Black Twitter's not going away today or tomorrow, but its power could get diminished, and fast, if things don't turn around for Musk's plaything platform.
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