In a week where the football community has seen a massive decline in Twitter engagement, with over 115,000 accounts being deactivated, the discord with the platform reaches new heights. Dismissing Twitter’s toxic atmosphere, the football club FC St. Pauli has officially made the move to BlueSky, distancing themselves from the social media giant owned by Elon Musk.
Among those affected is Jackson Irvine, a former Celtic midfielder, who has now left his @jacksonirvine_ handle without a trace, leaving fans with a stark black screen reading, ‘This account doesn’t exist. Try searching for another.’ Having been a part of Twitter since May 2014, this abrupt departure aligns him with many others who are fed up with the platform’s current trajectory.
FC St. Pauli announced their withdrawal with a firm statement, criticizing Musk for allowing Twitter to morph into what they describe as a “hate amplifier” that could sway the upcoming German parliamentary elections. “Since acquiring the platform, Musk has transformed Twitter into a breeding ground for bigotry and conspiracy theories, where racism flourishes unchecked and threats are considered protected speech,” the club declared.
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Moreover, with Donald Trump appointing Musk to helm a new government department after his election win, the club fears that X will further propagate authoritarian and extreme-right narratives during the lead-up to crucial elections, thus distorting public discourse.
Having previously limited their presence on Twitter by championing diversity and inclusion, the Hamburg-based team is now pulling the plug entirely on their account. They reassured their supporters that the archive of their tweets over the past 11 years would remain accessible online, as it holds significant contemporary historical value.
In their goodbye note, the club expressed gratitude towards their followers for the constructive discourse surrounding their social media presence and called on supporters to join them on BlueSky instead. Additionally, their English account will also make the transition to this alternative platform.
Last week, Livingston’s manager David Martindale bashed social media, dubbing it a “cesspit,” as he lamented the rise in vitriol directed at players and coaches. Martindale even reached out to a group of his own fans after feeling their criticisms had crossed the line into unacceptable territory.
