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The Downfall of a Once-Useful Platform: Why Geopolitical Expert Peter Zeihan is Abandoning Twitter
Peter Zeihan has earned a reputation as one of today’s foremost experts on geopolitics and global analysis. The bestselling author and co-founder of Zeihan on Geopolitics draws on his background studying demographics, economics, energy analytics and security to provide insightful commentary on major world events.
In the past, Twitter served as a valuable platform for Zeihan to both access key information from sources around the globe and distribute his own analysis to a wider audience. However, in a recent video Zeihan explains his frustration with the decreasing quality of information on Twitter, which has led him to walk away from the platform entirely.
The Decline of News and Rise of Misinformation
Zeihan traces Twitter’s downfall back to wider changes in the media landscape. As revenue models have collapsed and outlets have cut staff, there are far fewer professional journalists employed today in traditional reporting roles. This decline in true newsgathering has created space for more opinion-based “news” to spread across platforms like Twitter.
Geopolitical crises illuminate this shift. For example, Twitter initially served as a key source of information on events unfolding during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Firsthand accounts and amateur footage pouring out of the country provided valuable insights in the absence of journalists on the ground.
However, as the conflict wore on, Russian propaganda and misinformation also proliferated. Eventually a purge of bots and fake accounts eliminated over a million Russian troll profiles. But the damage was done – Twitter descended into information chaos.
According to Zeihan, this overwhelming influx of propaganda completely distorted the online discourse: “I’ve gone from spending an hour or two thumbing through Twitter getting a feel of what‘s going on in the world to spending 12 hours and having no idea what‘s going on because it‘s just crap.”
Platform Changes Cripple Engagement
Beyond the proliferation of misinformation, Zeihan points to Twitter’s own platform changes as a source of frustration. Previously, he leveraged his large follower base of over 300k to gather information from free sources around the world. He also engaged in meaningful back-and-forth conversations with viewers commenting on his analysis.
However, algorithmic filters have increasingly made it difficult to reach real followers. Bots and trolls continue slipping through the cracks, while genuine interactions have decreased. According to Zeihan, “the interactions that I used to really enjoy have essentially stopped.” Faced with tweets disappearing into the void, many experts like Zeihan are rethinking the value of the platform.
Elon Musk’s Takeover Disillusions Longtime Users
The final nail in the coffin for Zeihan was Twitter’s deal with Elon Musk. He argues the billionaire’s actions and views are rapidly “revealing his true colors,” specifically calling out Musk’s tweet repeating Russian propaganda about the Bucha massacre in Ukraine.
Between spreading contested theories and threatening massive layoffs, Musk’s moves have alienated Twitter‘s previously most active user base. Watching the new owner court controversy, parrot propaganda, and shift policies overnight has convinced Zeihan that his days fruitfully using Twitter are over. As he puts it: “Elon Musk is making very clear that Twitter has changed and it‘s changing further…This platform has gone from being one of the most rewarding parts of what I do…to just a complete time suck and a waste of everything that I do.”
What’s Next After Twitter?
While completely abandoning Twitter, Zeihan continues leveraging other platforms like YouTube to distribute video analysis to his loyal audience. For those dedicated followers, he recommends subscribing to his newsletter at Zeihan.com as the fastest, most reliable way to get new content rather than relying on unpredictable social platforms.
However, the question remains if Twitter can lure back disillusioned previous power users under the helm of Elon Musk and with ongoing changes. Perhaps alternatives like Bluesky Social or Mastondon provide refuge from misinformation, though they lack the audience size of the Big Tech platforms.
For now, Peter Zeihan joins a growing contingent of industry experts cutting ties with Twitter after concluding the negatives definitively outweigh the remaining positives. In his view, the platform’s failure to control propaganda provided unreliable information, while filters and algorithms choked content distribution and engagement. Though he may occasionally peek back at the site out of habit, Zeihan sees minimal hope for redemption after the platform’s significant decline.