The reason Tumblr was such an L for Yahoo wasn’t because it’s user base was so insufferable, but because Tumblr became a less popular media platform. Algorithm became more popular, creating content that people would literally crave, specifically tailored to them. And it’s a boon for advertisement. Twitter? Facebook? Instagram? TikTok? They’re essentially tailored billboards; sites dedicated to advertisement. What made Tumblr an L was the ban on NSFW and the inability to sell ads, not just the cultural disconnect between Yahoo and the platform. It literally lost some 1/3 of its traffic following the NSFW ban.
Yahoo bought Tumblr as the site was competing with other media platforms and slowly becoming obsolete. Asking why people don’t flock here anymore is like asking why people don’t use MySpace any more. There was a shift to different forms of media.
What made Tumblr an L was not the existence of an insufferable user base, but the loss of its user base.
Twitter? Twitter will never be an L for Musk. First, there is no cultural disconnect between him and the platform. Musk is the epitome of Twitter culture. Capitalistic. Reductive. “Edgy.” Cringe. Thinking he’s the smartest person in the room; a true intellectual. Offensively pseudo-ironic. Literally Twitter.
You want Twitter to be Musk’s L? Deactivate.
Deactivate your Twitter.
What will lose him money is a loss of users. It’s already a site optimized for ads and outrage and tailored content. It’s already a site tailored to his type of personality.
You want him to lose money?
Deactivate.
Make his pockets bleed.
I also recommend a strategy that Redditors have used to take down hate subs. Do you see a heinous, bigoted tweet next to an advertisement? Screenshot it and send it to the brand saying ‘this is the kind of content you’re partnering with on Twitter?’ Turn their capitalistic pearl clutching against them. If Musk has to choose between ‘free speech’ and advertiser money, he will absolutely choose the money. He’s already made that clear.