Much ado about Twitter
Spread the love, forward to a friend!
View this email in your browser
#WednesdayWisdom
"The dream is getting too close to becoming a reality to stop now. Double down on what you’re here to do, create, say, and/or be. You got this.." ~ @GiaPeppers
Morning Musings
When I first joined Twitter in October 2010, it was for work. My work bestie (hi, Rachel!) had taken the plunge and it seemed like something I should also do as a journalist. Up until then, the only other social network I’d been part of was Facebook and that’s back when it was still only for college students (arguably the best version of Facebook, RIP).
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Twitter, but eventually it became synonymous (ubiquitous?) with my career as a journalist, especially as I began dipping my toe into more freelance writing.
Throughout the years, Twitter has become the “water cooler of the world,” as someone genuisly described on the app the other day. It’s also been referred to as “that hell site” for many years due to people’s problematic takes and its chaotic nature.
As a writer, I’ve found that Twitter is where all my other writer friends are and editors, too, which has been instrumental to my career. It’s where I “met” my first internet friends, some of whom I’ve yet to meet IRL (in real life), as the kids say. It’s where I slid into the DMs of one of my all-time favorite editors, who became a manager, then a mentor and a friend—and also spearheaded my half-cross country move from Baltimore to Chicago, which changed the course of my life.
It’s also where I met incredible women who would go on to become great real-life friends. And Twitter is also where I met my literary agent, who helped me get my first book deal and, well, you know the rest.
In summary, Twitter has done a lot for me personally and my career, which is why it’s both painful and anxiety-inducing to watch it crumble in real time. It’s like the Trump presidency all over again, but make it social media. No one man should have all that power and yet here is Musk running a muck and making a mockery of the community we’ve all built throughout the years, but especially marginalized writers and creatives who were previously silenced and too often overlooked. I talked more about it in this interview for NBCU Academy.
Twitter was/is our water cooler, our stage, our platform, our lifeline. And I don’t know what happens next, but I do know you can always find me here on this little corner of the Internet we’ve carved out together. because at the end of the day, it’s about community and I’m grateful we’ve been able to do that together—no matter who’s in power.
Love,
L'Oreal
ICYMI
On Friday, I joined Kyra Kyles, CEO of YR Media, for a segment on WBEZ Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons. We talked about Black women and the glass cliff, the importance of mental health and so much more. The following day I was featured on The Sheletta Show out of Minneapolis to discuss the same topic.
P.s. In case you weren't able to access the original article last week, here's a link to get pass the paywall.
Links I Love
1. Rebuilding ‘Black Panther’: How the ‘Wakanda Forever’ Family Fought Through Grief and Injury to Create a $250 Million Superhero Tribute (Variety)
2. How 'Abbott Elementary' Star Quinta Brunson Serves Looks Outside The Classroom (HuffPost)
3. The Boundless Optimism of the Spice Girls (The New Yorker)
My Latest Obsession
Now, I don't know a ton about the Marvel Universe, so forgive me for not knowing the complete origin story of Ironheart, aka Riri Williams. But what I saw in Wakanda Forever was enough to make me want more. Every scene with her and Shuri was like #BlackGirlMagic, but make it STEM. So you know I was hear for it! If you're also intrigued, might I suggest reading Eve L. Ewing's Ironheart.
Now Hiring
Director of Communications for City Bureau
Director of Podcasting for YR Media
Executive Editor for Girls' Night In
Assistant Editor for Motherly
Vice President, Marketing and Communications for Surge Institute
LGBTQ Communities Reporter for Reckon
Cleaning and Organizing Editor at Apartment Therapy Media
Book Critic for The Washington Post
Support This Newsletter
Special thank you to Moriarty for buying last week's coffee.
Want to help fuel this newsletter and support my work? Click the button below!
Psst...did a friend forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here so you never miss an issue! Liked what you read? Be sure to follow using the buttons below.