Following the full acquisition of Twitter by bandana-wearer Elon Musk, the social media giant has been in the midst of a major upheaval among its employees and its users. Even if you’re following along with every twist and turn, it can be difficult to explain the intricacies of this saga to an outsider, particularly when they are actively opposed to hearing about it. So here’s how to power through and do just that, regardless!
Start from the beginning.
Whether you’re cornering your mom in the kitchen while you visit home or seizing tyrannical control of a conversation with your friend who’s not on social media, it’s important that you start from the very beginning. When you begin by explaining that Musk put out a $44 billion takeover offer to buy the company, the disinterested person will probably say, “Yeah, I know about that” to indicate that they’ve followed this story as much as they wish to and don’t need to hear more. But remind both them and yourself that that was only the beginning, and there’s so much more to the story that you are going to impart to them against their will.
Do it all off the cuff.
There are plenty of podcast episodes and articles out there that could succinctly explain the timeline of Musk’s takeover of Twitter, but obviously a person with zero interest in this news isn’t going to consume them! That’s why it’s all up to you to force this knowledge upon them with a non-peer-reviewed oral history that’s distinctly nonlinear because you keep saying, “Wait, I forgot an important part.” You are a bard, a messenger, a cultural translator and critic — all volunteer-based, but still!
Emphasize how this impacts you.
Maybe people in your life don’t care about this Elon mess because they’re detached from the issue. Awaken them to the need to confront this reality by really bringing these abstract concepts home. Explain that ever since Elon fired everyone and decided to make verification cost money, you’ve lost followers, the vibes have been seriously rank, and you haven’t been getting any likes on tweets that def would have been bangers a month ago. If they push back on the idea that Elon Musk is solely to blame for your tweets bombing, then congratulations: They’re listening!
The Twitter situation is complicated, but making a disinterested party hear about it doesn’t have to be! So try these tips, and if they really don’t work, just say that if they let you talk about it for 15 minutes, you’ll watch up to three TikToks of their choice.
