For Black Folks, Digital Migration Is Nothing New

On the occasion of being invited to an event, a lot of Black people ask, "Who gone be there?" Determining whether to attend a gathering is dependent on knowing who else will be in attendance. The answer about our presence is often a resounding "no" if the answer is that there will be no other Black folks or that other people are hostile to us. This is how we might ask if we should stay on or leave the platform. Several notable Black people have provided their reasons for leaving or staying over the past few weeks. Karen Attiah explained why she stayed in The Washington Post. There is a wide discrepancy between Black people when it comes to deciding whether to stay or go.

I locked my account on the day of Musk's purchase, and have only once since, a reply to someone asking where to find me. Over the course of the past eight years, I have averaged around 10 to 15 tweets a day. Early returns show that the takeover predictions were correct.

There is a danger in conflating the technology and digital space with the people on the social networking site. The platforms are made up of people. There is a network of culturally connected communicators using the platform to draw attention to issues of concern to black communities. The network has proved to be a rich vein for a variety of people on the platform, whether they are attempting to take the pulse of what is cool or gain insights on social movements. The core of what makes the platform the cultural powerhouse it was is black and decisions about how to treat this new era are important. If a lot of black people leave, it will be a problem for the social networking site.

Digital migration is nothing new to black people.

There was a migration to Facebook. A lot of people called the platform a failure. Digital skill development, social mobility, and a lot of "Top 8" drama were what it provided to Black users. The core of BlackPlanet, Friendster, and other spaces were created by Black people and then replicated by other black people. White flight is believed to be the reason behind the demise of MySpace, but that can't be said of the same thing for the social networking site. Black excellence made the birds flock here. For anyone interested in reading the pulse of what is currently driving the culture, there is no better place to look than on social media.

There have been discussions about who will be welcomed and what will happen next after the exodus from the micro-blogging site. The digital sacrifice zone is a term used by Black women to define their realities in online spaces because unfair policies and practices leave women and people of color exposed to the adverse environment of the digital public. The sacrifice zone is a reference to polluted air and other environmental atrocities. Only a small group of users are impacted by pollutants on the micro-blogging site.