My Moral Perspective

I get it.

Social media is a giant component of how we communicate in our modern world. To effectively get a message out, to have any degree of an influenceable presence, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TicTok (and others) have been critical platforms. Without them, one runs the risk of becoming isolated and, worse yet, invisible.

I understand the inherent risk of avoiding social media. At the same time, I resent being held captive to these external platforms as the most viable method of broad communication because they aren’t without flaws. They aren’t without risk. They don’t require civility, or accuracy, or respectful discourse. These largely unregulated behemoths are increasingly safe havens for purveyors of hate and misinformation.

Do I want to participate in that?

The richest man in the world recently purchased Twitter for a staggering sum. That purchase has not come without consequences. According to the November 4, 2022 edition of CBS News Money Watch “Researchers from Montclair State University found that the 12 hours immediately following Musk's takeover of Twitter saw a much more "hostile" environment on [the] platform. The team looked at tweets filled with ‘vulgar and hostile’ rhetoric aimed at people based on their race, religion, ethnicity and orientation, such as the ‘n-word,’ ‘k-word,’ and ‘f-word,’ to find out just how bad it got. They found an ‘immediate, visible, and measurable spike’ in those terms. Researchers also said there was an increase in negative sentiment, with more than 67% of the tweets sent after Musk's takeover having a negative tone.”

Do I want to participate in that? I don’t think so.

I vote with my feet: gravitating toward attractive options and moving away from those that at are offensive. Apparently, many large corporations who make up a substantial portion of Twitter’s advertising revenue feel the same. It’s heartening to know that companies like General Mills, Audi and General Motors have a degree of conscience when it comes to where they invest their advertising budgets.

The reason for this rant is because I can no longer support or participate on an unhinged platform, so I am notifying my followers that my articles will no longer appear on Twitter. I understand the risk of readership loss that this decision represents. But this decision is based on moral principle rather that popularity. I insist that my posted material, which represents my best attempt at well-informed quality, appear only on platforms of similar orientation. That is not today’s Twitter.

The simplest may to stay engaged with my efforts is to subscribe to my website, The Education Kids Deserve. My focused, and scheduled, efforts to address a wide range of applicable education topics will resume, with consistency, in the new year. If every reader subscribes, and brings along 2-3 other subscribers, we can effectively build the community of innovators needed to mount the revolution that must occur in American public education.

Did I just use the term “revolution?” Yes, with intention, and Sir Ken Robinson would agree.

Will Elon know, or care, that I’m gone? No, but I will.

Join me by subscribing to www.theeducationkidsdeserve.com or email me at michael@theeducationkidsdeserve.com. Our nation’s kids deserve this, and they are counting on us to fulfill our obligation.