🐦 Is this the beginning of the end for Twitter?

It's the most effective social media outlet for most journalists. [READER]( The Daily Reader I've been thinking a lot about Twitter lately. More than I care to admit. I also use it more than I care to admit. It can be the greatest distraction in my life, since logging on often feels like I'm mainlining the entire Internet—and it takes a long time to get through the entire Internet. It has also been a powerful tool for me; it's allowed me to communicate with sources who'd otherwise remain just beyond reach, helped me learn about stories that I could report on, and given me the ability to share my work with a large audience who might otherwise never find my stories. There's a reason every article in the Reader's print edition includes the writer's Twitter handle at the end; it's the most effective social media outlet for most journalists. may all be coming to an end, maybe, who knows. All I know is that if Elon Musk's plans to charge users for blue certification checks goes through, it will be a disruption. Most journalists employed by news organizations have blue checks; it's a quality assurance symbol, however weak that may be. (I mean, not everything I tweet is related to my job; I like to crack inane jokes on Twitter that are not a reflection of my day job. Then again, none of us can be summarized by what we post online, we are all multi-dimensional people, but I digress.) Musk's plan to restructure the certification system comes at a time where media literacy is poor. Misinformation has already been an issue before this moment. But if this change happens, anyone with $8 or $20 or whatever Musk feels like charging users a month can buy the appearance of credibility. And I wonder what the outcome may be. I've felt the impact of what it would mean to lose access to Twitter as a tool entirely. A hacker got hold of my account a couple weeks back. It felt odd watching a faceless stranger take hold of this tool I've had my entire professional life and pile-drive it into the ground. But it also felt nice to not have the means to constantly check a platform that's been so demanding of my time. I could live with that. Sincerely, "[The Exploitation of New York Drill Hits a Disturbing New Low]( by Alphonse Pierre (Pitchfork) "[How punk adopted the Godfather of Gore,]( by me (pardon me for the bit of self promotion here, but I had fun working on this story and I hope you enjoy reading it!) Dear Nora, [Human Futures]( Smino, [Luv 4 Rent]( cktrl, [yield]( Avec Plaisir,[An Album]( [‘Existing without question’]( The evolution of gender inclusion in Chicago roller derby by [Alex Anteau]( [Festival “Lit & Luz” ofrece una visión para la revisión]( El festival bilingüe destaca el arte, la literatura y la música contemporánea, mientras cultiva el discurso cultural entre artistas de México y Estados Unidos. by [Sandra Treviño]( [Halloween is over, but we still have Bandcamp Friday]( The Reader recommends a pile of music new and old—Mohawk Johnson, Ariel Zetina, Cloud Rat, Gore Gore Girls—for the week’s second-best holiday. by [Leor Galil]( [Brutus enter their ‘ambitious third album’ phase with explosive results]( Kurt Chiang and Mindy Myers finally collaborate; plus a new artistic director at Writers and the Jeff Awards by [Luca Cimarusti]( 🥳 Celebrate 50-ish years of the Reader! In three weeks, we're taking over the Museum of Contemporary Art for a night of the very best of Chicago arts and entertainment. [Grab your tickets today,]( and we can't wait to see you on the dance floor! [Issue of Oct. 26 - Nov. 9, 2022 Vol. 52, No.]( [Download Issue]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2022 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616