>>185134, >>185135, >>185136, >>185137, >>185138, >>185139, >>185140, >>185141
DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican - I'm sorry you're struggling with this. It's very very hard to make a living off social media and should never be a first choice for income. Only a hobby.
Conversation
Alladdin @Alladdin1983
Considering Leaving X
Over the past week, and as a credentialed journalist I've been seriously considering whether it's time to leave X or at the very least, cancel my Premium subscription and stop posting altogether.
This isn't a decision I'm making lightly. I've invested countless hours into this platform, building an audience and producing original investigative content that has exposed government waste, questionable spending, politicians' travel expenses, USAID expenditures, NGO funding involving children, and much more. I continue to do this work today because I believe transparency matters.
But I have to ask myself: Is it still worth it?
X has increasingly become a platform dominated by trolling, recycled content, and algorithmic favoritism toward a select group of accounts. Many of us pay over $50 per month for Premium under the promise that our content will receive greater visibility. Yet for many creators producing original reporting and research, that promise simply isn't being fulfilled.
I've had my work copied and reposted by large accounts, including Laura Loomer and Chicago Ray, among many others, without credit or apology and some blocked me when I called them out. So I started watermarking my content to protect the research I do.
I've repeatedly raised concerns about these issues. I've even subscribed to and tagged Mr. @nikitabier in hopes of getting his attention to these problems and providing feedback on platform changes, but nothing has come from it. Not even a replay back.
Despite my frustrations, I've met some incredible people on this platform, including @sarahadams, @DataRepublican, @data_republican, @DataInterpretr, @QueenAnticommie, and many others. If I didn't mention your name, please don't take offense the list is much longer than a single post can hold.
Over the next month, I'll continue thinking about what direction I want to take. But one thing is clear: the current state of X cannot continue indefinitely.
This platform was built to facilitate the sharing of news, information, and ideas. Today, much of the attention is being consumed by recycled clips from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and mainstream media. Large accounts make substantial money reposting content created elsewhere, while independent researchers, journalists, and investigators struggle to compete against an algorithm that appears to reward entertainment over substance.
The numbers speak for themselves. During the last seven days, I haven't even crossed 300,000 impressions. Over the past two weeks, I haven't come close to reaching one million impressions. My last three payouts barely covered the cost of my Premium subscription.
What makes this especially difficult is that I took a significant personal and professional risk traveling to Ukraine to cover the war firsthand. That trip was funded entirely by my followers, who believed in my mission to bring them real reporting from the ground. Since I went there, my reach and visibility have steadily declined. It feels like a disservice to every person who donated and trusted me to deliver independent journalism.
If @elonmusk truly wants people to build careers and spend their time creating content on this platform, then X needs to move in a different direction. The platform should prioritize original reporting, investigations, research, and genuine news gathering—not endless recycled clips and reposted media from other platforms.