Advocates in B.C. worry a Twitter implosion would mean a loss of community, support for vulnerable people

Drug user advocates say they worry that a Twitter implosion would mean a loss of community and support for vulnerable people, following weeks of concern for the social media platform after being acquired by Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, at the start of November.

On Thursday, Musk suspended journalists who were critical of him, a move condemned by outlets like CNN, as well as European Union Commissioner Věra Jourová.

The move led to speculation over where the platform goes from here, especially after a mass exodus of staff in mid-November and the increasingly volatile moderation policies by the site's owner.

For Sarah Blyth, executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS), Twitter represents more than a space to be critical of powerful figures like Musk — it is also a place to create awareness around issues affecting drug users.

"We can get real-time information about what are in the drugs these days," she told CBC News. "Where you can get your drugs tested, where there's overdose prevention sites, how to get support.

"Where there's been a fire and how can we help and just … all of the day-to-day crisis situations that we're dealing with, we can talk about and find solutions, too, quickly when using Twitter."

Blyth says the platform has been invaluable for boosting the efforts of community organizations like the OPS, particularly as many reporters and non-profit workers are active on the site.

"[On Thursday], I put up a Christmas wishlist for OPS and within a few hours all of the wishlist items on Amazon were bought," she said. "It's very good at getting the word out … to like-minded individuals."

Drug user advocates on Twitter have also used the platform extensively to spotlight new research in the field, debunk conspiracy theories, and talk directly to politicians and media.

"It's been really effective [at] holding, I think, different levels of government accountable," Blyth said. "They really can't hide from real-time media the way that Twitter is."

Helps broaden understanding

Blyth says in her experience, Twitter has been a way to understand how other people think, and she hopes it has been able to erase the stigma surrounding drug users.

Garth Mullins, an organizer with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and host of the Crackdown podcast, says the platform can be useful for drug users who don't want their personal information revealed to employers.

"Twitter has been a really great space for people who are on the margins of things to find each other," he said.

"A lot of drug users have been able to make connections on Twitter."

Mullins highlighted the human nature of Twitter when he talked to CBC's Gloria Macarenko about a long thread where he regaled his followers with his thoughts about pot pies.

However, in the same interview, Mullins said harassment from far-right accounts had been on the rise since Musk took over the site.

Blyth acknowledged that harassment from anonymous accounts — something Musk says he wants to handle — was "out of control," but that Musk's behaviour, too, is concerning.

Mullins and Blyth both worry about what would happen if the site imploded completely and users had to scatter to other services.

"It shouldn't be just one person's platform to manipulate," Blyth said.

"It doesn't give people a lot of faith."