OLH is leaving Twitter / X

A message from our Executive Director, Dr Caroline Edwards

Like many academic organisations, the OLH team has become increasingly alarmed at Elon Musk’s behaviour following his acquisition of Twitter almost two years ago. Since Musk fired 80% of Twitter’s staff in early 2023, we have noticed a sharp decline in the quality of the platform - what many commentators refer to as its "enshittification" (following Cory Doctorow's coinage of the term). Poor moderation has increased the toxicity of debate and Musk’s personal endorsement of extreme political views - reinstating previously banned accounts that espouse climate denial, anti-Semitism, anti-vax misinformation, and pro-Russian propaganda - has destroyed a formerly respected community platform.  

The OLH joined Twitter in 2013. We built up a following of over 11,000 followers and discovered a vibrant academic community that supported open access and helped scholars worldwide connect and share information. Saying goodbye to this unique resource is difficult but we are concerned that remaining on Twitter at this point would signal a tacit endorsement of Musk’s politics.  

As an organisation the OLH represents openness, transparency, and inclusivity. We work hard to address the social and political inequalities that underpin academic knowledge production and dissemination. Verifying sources to provide accurate information is at the core of academic research in the humanities and social sciences. These values are entirely at odds with a platform that spreads misinformation and encourages the bot-driven amplification of dangerous views. We’ve decided that it’s time finally to say goodbye to the platform and close our OLH and Janeway accounts.  

The OLH has migrated to BlueSky – you can find our OLH account here and our Janeway publishing account here. We also have a Facebook community page here. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can sign up here to receive our quarterly newsletters. 

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with the OLH on Twitter over the years. We hope to see you elsewhere on social media in the future. 

Featured image by Matthew Hicks on Unsplash.