Basic Black: Can Black Twitter survive Elon Musk?

A small group of people in a circle holding smart phones.

Produced live at WGBH Studios in Boston, Basic Black is the longest-running program on public television focusing on the interests of people of color. The show, which was originally called Say Brother, was created in 1968 during the height of the civil rights movement as a response to the demand for public television programs reflecting the concerns of communities of color. Each episode features a panel discussion across geographic borders and generational lines with the most current stories, interviews and commentaries.

Kenrick Mercado is the Associate Producer for Basic Black at GBH.

January 20, 2023

Updated January 22, 2023

Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the online social platform has been in disarray. Millions of people have tweeted their disdain or deleted their accounts.

For the nearly 240 million monthly remaining users that may still engage subgroups for discourse, one of the most popular and influential groups is Black Twitter. Instrumental in social justice movements #OscarsSoWhite, #SayHerName, #ICantBreathe and more, Black Twitter connected the Black community with information, opportunity and a place to express themselves.

Guests on Basic Black described Black Twitter as fun, safe, communal and creative. But they also said Black Twitter has devolved recently, and gets targeted with hate speech and death threats, especially after Musk took over the platform.

So, can Black Twitter survive and continue to be a transformative outlet?

Jeneé Osterheldt, culture columnist at the Boston Globe, said asking if Black Twitter can survive is like asking if Black people can survive.

"We're surviving as a collective. We're fighting you know, fighting for liberation ... but we're here, we're living, we're thriving. We're cultivating joy," Osterheldt said.

Danielle Johnson, CEO and founder of SPARK FM Online, agreed that Black Twitter will continue forward. She said most danger on Twitter comes from people with few followers who are not relevant.

"I think that people don't understand that there are consequences to actions, there are consequences to speech," Johnson said.

All of the guests said they have experienced some form of racism and hate speech on Twitter, and block or mute people frequently.

Caroline Kautsire, educator and author of “Some Kind of Girl," noted she's not on Twitter to be likable. She shares posts about uncomfortable topics that spark debate.

Kautsire said Black Twitter is "a creator and shapeshifter of culture and energy." She added that she's active on Twitter to help promote her work and will continue posting.

Dr. Meredith Clark, an associate professor and founding director of the Center for Communication, Media Innovation and Social Change at Northeastern University, has studied Black Twitter since 2010 and is currently working on a book about it. She said she is shifting much of her creative endeavors back to her personal and professional writing, and meeting in person with people in her community — but she isn't leaving Twitter.

"Black Twitter contains allegiance, just in the same way that there is no one Black community — we're talking about Black communities and everything that makes us spectacular," she said.

WATCH: Black Twitter's next move

Watch the latest episode of Basic Black Fridays at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2 or live on gbh.org. You can also watch on the GBH News YouTube channel. Subscribe to get notifications for future premiere episodes.