Krugman unveils account on Twitter alternative

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Sunday revealed he created an account on the platform Mastodon as some Twitter users seek alternatives following billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform.

“So, I’ve opened a Mastodon account as a precaution against the possible Muskocalypse on this site,” Krugman wrote on Twitter, adding that he uses the platform to broadcast his own work and to follow subject area experts.

“Getting information from such people in more or less real time is extremely valuable… So a mass influx of crazy people won’t directly hurt the way I use Twitter. But I worry about loss of critical mass. As Musk’s apparently uncontrollable nastiness and childishness drives away users and advertisers, it’s easy to see how Twitter’s usefulness could collapse,” Krugman said.

He shared his new profile on the Mastodon, an open-source social media site that bills itself as “social networking that’s not for sale.”

The platform started in 2016 when founder Eugen Rochko “was dissatisfied with the state and direction of Twitter,” according to the Mastodon site.

“I have no idea what will replace Twitter if and when that happens. But I’m doing what I can to retain an alternative social media foothold,” Krugman added.

Musk has already made massive staff cuts and now faces a potential loss of users and advertisers amid concerns about scaling back content moderation and changes to features like the “verified” blue check mark.

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