I’m not leaving Twitter … yet.

The recent purchase of Twitter by plutocrat Elon Musk has caused a firestorm on the platform, with people openly quitting the microblogging site, while others are rejoining after spending the past few years in the diaspora of other social media sites.

As for myself … I’m staying. For now.

Here’s the thing with my Twitter involvement. I don’t treat Twitter the same way other people treat Twitter. I’m not out there begging for followers – if you follow me, fantastic. If you don’t follow me, I’m not bothered. If you are a spambot or a troll or a griefer and you follow me, I know where the block button is located.

There are people I follow on the site that aren’t on other social media platforms. For example, I follow three icons of my 1970’s-era childhood on Twitter – Betty Aberlin (the “Lady Aberlin” of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood), Sonia Manzano (“Maria” from Sesame Street) and Lynda Carter (if I have to explain my joy of watching old Wonder Woman episodes, then we have an issue).

I follow several professional wrestlers on the site – obviously, both members of the IInspiration, Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay; but I also follow several AEW wrestlers’ Twitter accounts, including those of The Acclaimed (“Platinum Max” Caster and Anthony Bowens) and the king of sloth style wrestling, Orange Cassidy. I have no problem with following professional wrestling Twitter accounts, and if people have an issue with me doing that, feel free to unfriend me.

I will admit to following the President of the United States‘ Twitter account, as well as that of former President Barack Obama’s Twitter feed. I also follow the Twitter chat from two other former Presidents, Richard Nixon and Harry Truman. How is this possible? Well, obviously both of them are fantasy accounts – one from the Harry S Truman library, and the other from a former Nixon speechwriter, but they are quite entertaining reads.

I follow several of my old Times Union blogging portal friends, even if they’re not blogging as much as they once did. Trust me, I don’t kick people to the curb just because they’re not blogging every day. I mean, what kind of anal-retentive boobie has to blog every single freakin’ day? 😀

I follow a slew of other accounts here and there – I follow Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’ account, as well as the account of my local Congressional representative Paul Tonko; I also follow the Lincoln Project, Meidas Touch, several MSNBC reporters, a few Steelers player accounts – but that’s my oeuvre in Twitter.

Besides, if I didn’t like what Twitter’s offering, where would I go? Parler? Gab? GETTR? Truth Social? No thanks. I don’t need a microblogging service that would infect my computer with malware and adbots and knuckledraggers.

And that’s why I have a block button on Twitter. I’ll block people whose words and actions offend me and upset me. I don’t need their horseshit in my life. Trust me, after some of the vile comments and actions Kristi Gustafson Barlette did and said to me during my time as a TU blogger, I have her barriered on every social media platform. Including Twitter. I don’t need her passive-aggressive and hurtful actions toward me. So I take precautions to prevent that from appearing in my feed.

So for now, I’ll stay on Twitter. This will last for as long as I feel comfortable with the platform. But trust me, as soon as I lose faith in the platform – or if Elon Musk suddenly decides to un-block the people that I’ve currently blocked – then I can leave Twitter in a fingersnap. It doesn’t hurt me to stay, and it doesn’t hurt me to leave.

Just don’t give me a reason to hate to be here, Elon.

That’s all I ask.