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CultureQuiet 3d · day 4

Caitlin Moran: Twitter's decline should push people offline entirely

The Guardian columnist argues social media curdled from a democratizing community into a hostile space run by "online activists," and that quitting is the only fix.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 3d ago6 pieces98 likes & upvotes2 comments NewswiresMastodonGoogle NewsBluesky

What to know

  • Caitlin Moran's Guardian column argues Twitter went from a funny, democratizing community space to a hostile "hellhole" over roughly fourteen years.
  • She attributes the shift to "online activists" and says the experience drove her off the platform.
  • Her core recommendation for readers who want to improve the world is to avoid online activism and social media altogether in favor of offline action.
  • Reader response so far is limited but favorable, with commenters echoing her framing of "social media" as effectively meaning Twitter.

“God, I love social media! I cannot believe my exquisite luck – to exist in a time when it was invented!”

Caitlin Moran, Guardian columnist · The Guardian ↗ · Sep 19

Caitlin Moran Guardian columnistCaroline Criado-Perez Activist cited in the columnJohn Prescott Former UK deputy prime minister, cited in an anecdote

Caitlin Moran: Twitter's decline should push people offline entirely
theguardian.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in one hour at Sep 20, 6 AM; 6 pieces over 4 days (3 articles · 3 posts) Sep 20, 6 AM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Google News 1, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quiet 1–23
Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 8:50 AM ET
  1. 3

    Another reader shares the column approvingly

    A second Mastodon user reposts the link, describing it as a good read on social media's promise, decline, and what to do instead.

    “Good read on social media - the promise, the disaster, what to do…”
    — nwchapman@sfba.social, Mastodon user · source
    • nwchapman@sfba.social

      Good read on social media - the promise, the disaster, what to do https://www. theguardian.com/media/2026/sep /20/caitlin-moran-social-media-what-to-do-instead

      nwchapman@sfba.socialMastodon3d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 2

    Reader on Mastodon backs the column's diagnosis of "social media"

    A Mastodon user responding to the column says it matches their own experience of people conflating "social media" with Twitter alone, and notes the piece's offline suggestions (get a dog, garden, clean up the neighborhood) echo Fediverse culture.

    “This mirrors my own experiences, in that people around me say “social media” to mean Twitter and no second thing.”
    — Vorsos@beige.party
    • Vorsos@beige.party

      This mirrors my own experiences, in that people around me say “social media” to mean Twitter and no second thing. https://www. theguardian.com/media/2026/sep /20/caitlin-moran-social-media-what-to-do-instead “This is why, in 2026, my primary piece of advice to someone who wants to make the world a better place is: don’t become an online activist…

      Vorsos@beige.partyMastodon3d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  3. 1

    Moran publishes column urging readers to quit social media

    The Guardian publishes Moran's piece, which concludes that anyone wanting to make the world better should avoid online activism and social media entirely, recommending offline alternatives instead.

    “This is why, in 2026, my primary piece of advice to someone who wants to make the world a better place is: don't become an online activist. In fact – seriously – don't be online at all.”
    — Caitlin Moran
    1. 3 outlets Caitlin Moran: social media went from utopia to hellhole in a decade – if you want to feel hopeful again, get offline

      first by Mastodon, 4d ago · also Guardian Media, The Guardian

  4. background

    Moran says the platform curdled into hostility over the decade — Moran frames the intervening years as a transformation from community and unmediated communication into a hostile environment, attributing the change to "online activists" whose behavior she says pushed her away.

  5. background

    Moran recounts viral community moments and activist wins on Twitter — She cites examples including a viral search for a lost teddy bear involving then-deputy PM John Prescott, and Caroline Criado-Perez's campaign that produced the Women's Room list of female experts after the Today programme ran all-male panels on women's health topics.

  6. background

    Moran describes early Twitter as a democratizing new space — Moran recalls joining Twitter roughly fourteen years earlier, describing it as a lively, funny mix of pub chat and celebrity phone-in, giving ordinary people a direct broadcast platform for the first time.

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim