“X is pretty rough sometimes but within that ‘toxic debate’ are some critics who are telling you things that you need to listen to,” reflected Tanya De Grunwald on why she thinks the departure of many organisations from the world’s biggest social media site is looking increasingly misguided.
“[By] removing yourself to sit on BlueSky or LinkedIn you’re going to miss out on some criticism that frankly you need to be hearing,” explained De Grunwald, host of the influential HR-related podcast This Isn’t Working in an episode reflecting on the issues raised by the Jason Arday plagiarism row this summer.
Universities and academics are among those who joined a mass exodus of users from X since Elon Musk bought the site in October 2022. His free speech evangelism and algorithmic changes have unfairly boosted right-wing or paid-for posts, many believe, making it impossible for academics to engage.
In many cases, leaving X was often framed as a “values-led” decision by universities, implying that “nice people should not be on X,” argued De Grunwald. Yet this retreat by left-leaning academics and HR professionals – among whom she counts herself – simply added “more sound-proofing to our echo chamber”, she said.
