Statement On Our Social Media Presence

Thursday, January 23, 2025

We try to be very careful about the social networks and platforms we use. We are on Twitch and YouTube for video content, despite having major concerns, notably around privacy and the content they allow on their platforms, about the platforms themselves and their respective parent companies.

However, we feel we can be a positive force on these platforms, and whilst by no means the sole factor, a lot of our revenue comes from Twitch, with a hope that this will soon include YouTube.

A big portion of our audience comes from both platforms and we feel that the cons of being on these platforms are outweighed by the positive effect we are having by being there; a respite in a pool of murky water, so to speak.

We have decided, after Meta’s recent and blatant disregard for the rights of marginalised communities, to not have a Crossed Wires presence on any Meta platforms. We have even gone so far as to de-federate our Mastodon instance from Threads.

Now, let’s talk about TikTok and Twitter/X, because there’s a lot to unpack.

We are still waiting to see what happens with TikTok; as of right now it is banned from the US App Store and Google Play; as such bothJae and James have decided to cease use of the platform until we can be sure of it’s future legality.

We are also not seeking to join platforms such as RedNote, as this is intended as a Chinese focussed platform, equally we will not join Lemon8 with this being owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.

TikTok’s moderation policies and ability to spread misinformation has had both of us skeptical of the platform. We are increasingly weary of the platform’s praise of Trump for saving it and we question if their use of phrases such as “free speech” and “First Amendment” are a signal that the platform will be for the use of the far-right in multiple countries, a trend we’ve seen many other platforms fall victim to.

That leaves X/Twitter, which we have to be honest and say is a platform we are currently reluctantly still on. At this point in time, a majority of Twitch marketing and networking with brands, game companies, and even Twitch themselves is done via X. For example, we are in three official Twitch teams thanks to finding out about them on X.

To balance this, we have decided to keep JUST the live streaming side of Crossed Wires on X, removing our former ‘Crossed Wires’ account and solely focussing on a stream-centric account under CWiresLive. That account’s sole purpose is to network, announce streams and keep an eye on notifications from brands, agencies, and Twitch themselves.

We can assure you that our continued use of X is being actively reviewed between Jae and James. We have chosen to NOT promote X on our streams, podcast, website, Discord, etc. We are constantly watching the platform. and Musk’s recent Nazi-salute has made us very aware of the fact X is becoming a Nazi-bar.

We have decided to do the following:

BlueSky is becoming a new home for Twitch streamers and brands, and we are watching the move closely - following any creators and brands who have also made the move wherever possible.

-Jae and James Co-Owners of Crossed Wires