>> POPE: WELCOME TO "BASIC BLACK."

SOME OF YOU ARE JOINING US ON OUR BROADCAST AND OTHERS OF YOU ARE JOINING US ON OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS.

I'M YOUR HOST, KRISTEN POPE.

CALLIE CROSSLEY IS OFF THIS EVENING.

TONIGHT: BLACK TWITTER.

ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL GROUPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, KNOWN FOR CALLING OUT ISSUES ON POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, DISCRIMINATION, AND GENDER, BLACK TWITTER HAS SPARKED DEBATE, ATTENTION AND CHANGE FOR OVER A DECADE ON TOPICS IMPACTING THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

BLACK TWITTER IS ALSO ABOUT COMMUNITY, CREATED ONLINE, BRINGING TOGETHER BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE TO DISCUSS STORIES, LAUGH, AND HAVE CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS.

BUT WITH ELON MUSK'S PURCHASE OF TWITTER AND THE RISE OF HATE SPEECH ON THE PLATFORM, CAN BLACK TWITTER SURVIVE?

WILL ITS INFLUENCE BE MINIMIZED, OR MOVE TO NEW AND EXISTING PLATFORMS?

WE HAVE A GREAT GROUP OF GUESTS, JOINING US THIS EVENING: JENEEÉ OSTERHELDT, CULTURE COLUMNIST, AT THE "BOSTON GLOBE."

DR. MEREDITH CLARK, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION, MEDIA INNOVATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.

CAROLINE KAUTSIRE, EDUCATOR, AND AUTHOR OF "SOME KIND OF GIRL."

AND DANIELLE JOHNSON, C.E.O.

AND FOUNDER, SPARK FM ONLINE.

WELCOME TO YOU ALL.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Pope: SO ARE YOU EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION?

>> YES.

LET'S GET INTO THIS.

>> Pope: ARE WE ALL ON BLACK TWITTER.

>> WE ARE.

>> Pope: WHAT IS BLACK TWITTER.

>> I DIDN'T KNOW FIRS UNTIL I SIFTED THROUGH TWITTER AND PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES ONLINE.

SO BEING SOMETHING FROM AFRICA, I DECIDED TO SHARE MY DIASPOR EXPERIENCES.

PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT CENTERING AROUND BLACK ISSUES AND I LOVED THAT AND REALIZED I WAS A PART OF BLACK TWITTER.

IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE A MEMBERSHIP.

I WAS JUST A PART OF IT BECAUSE I WAS TALKING ABOUT MY BLACK LIVED EXPERIENCES.

>> Pope: CAROLINE HOW ABOUT YOU?

>> COMMUNITY, BLACK EXISTING SAFELY ONLINE IN COMMUNITY BACK IN THE GOLDEN DAYS OF TWITTER.

FOR OVER A DECADE, SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS NOW IN REAL LIFE ARE PEOPLE I MET ON TWITTER WHEN WE WERE JUST BEING BLACK AND EXISTING ON THE PLATFORM, WHICH ULTIMATELY BECAME A COMMUNITY WE CALLED BLACK TWITTER.

HAVING A SPACE WHERE YOU CAN SHARE COLLECTIVELY YOUR HURT, YOUR JOY.

YOU CAN FIGHT TO SAVE YOUR FAVORITE SHOW.

YOU CAN CALL THE OSCARS OUT.

YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT OUR BODIES ARE -- LIVES ARE CELEBRATED WHILE WE'RE HERE VERSUS ONLY WHEN WE'RE DEAD.

YOU CAN FIGHT THE SYSTEM.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.

IT'S ALSO A SCARY PLACE WHERE WE'RE ATTACKED, WHERE BOTS ARE TARGETING US.

IT'S A MIX OF THINGS, PUT IT IS PRECIOUS.

>> Pope: JENEEÉ, WE'RE GOING TO THE GOLDEN DAYS, WE'LL GET BACK TO THAT.

MEREDITH.

>> BLACK TWITTER HAS BEEN COMMUNITY TO ME FOR ALMOST A DECADE.

STARTING WITH MY USE IN 2008, I SAW AS A JOURNALIST TWEETING IN THE DAY, I WAS HAVING A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE AT NIGHT BECAUSE BLACK TWITTER WAS THERE, WE WERE CRACKING JOKES AND TALKING ABOUT WHATTETH LIKE TO WORK IN WHITE SPACES AND BE THE ONLY BLACK PERSON AND FACE, SO CONNECTING OVER THOSE EVERYDAY EXPERIENCES WAS AFFIRMING FOR ME ESPECIALLY BEING IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, I COULD CONNECT WITH OTHER BLACK STUDENTS, WE COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH US AND WE'VE MAINTAINED THOSE RELATIONSHIPS OVER THE YEARS.

>> DANIELLE?

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, AND IT WAS ALSO A WAY FOR ME TO CONNECT, AND IT WAS A BIG RESOURCE.

IT WAS A WAY TO FIND INFORMATION VERY, VERY QUICKLY.

YOU JUST PRESS THE HASHTAG AND YOU'RE THERE.

IT ALSO WAS, OBVIOUSLY, COMMUNITY, WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS, YOU'RE TWEETING WITH THE PEOPLE WATCHING IT, TOO.

WHEN NEWS COMES OUT, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING, SO YOU'RE REALLY KIND OF LIKE A FAMILY, A COMMUNITY, KIND OF A LITTLE TRIBE ON TWITTER AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY EVER SINCE I STARTED JUST KIND OF GETTING INFORMATION OUT THERE, RECEIVING INFORMATION AND FEELING OKAY ABOUT THE INFORMATION THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY RECEIVING.

>> Pope: SO THE COMMUNITY IS DEFINITELY A THREAD THAT JUST KEEPS COMING UP.

AND WHEN WE SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL ALWAYS FIND OUR COMMUNITY, WE'LL ALWAYS FIND OUR COMMUNITY -- AND IT'S NOT EVEN NECESSARILY, LIKE, OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE PART OF TWITTER THAT HAS -- YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOVED HAS ALSO BEEN THE DISCOURSE THAT YOU MAY BE TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN YOUR COMMUNITY, BUT YOU'RE ABLE TO FACILITATE THAT CONVERSATION.

AND, SO, THE PIECE ABOUT COMMUNITY AND BLACK TWITTER SURVIVING AND WHAT IT MEANS NOW, DO WE BELIEVE BLACK TWITTER CAN SURVIVE WHAT'S HAPPENING?

>> AS LONG AS THERE'S BLACK PEOPLE AROUND, A BLACK INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, EVERYTHING -- AT FIRST, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW BLACK TWITTER WAS -- I THOUGHT IT WAS A SEPARATE APP THAT YOU HAVE TO LOG IN AND DO IT.

AND THEN I REALIZED.

I AM BLACK TWITTER.

WHAT I TWEET GOES INTO THAT ECOSYSTEM OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TWEETING THE SEAM THING OR JUST WANT TO KNOW OTHER OPINIONS OR IDEAS.

SO THAT WAS ALWAYS KIND OF A REALLY GREAT THING ABOUT BLACK TWITTER.

>> AMERICA'S A RACIST PLACE.

ASKING IF BLACK TWITTER CAN SURVIVE, BLACK PEOPLE SURVIVED, WE'RE SURVIVING AS A COLLECTIVE.

WE'RE FIGHTING, BUT WE'RE HERE LIVING, THRIVING, CULTIVATING JOY.

SO WE DEAL WITH LESSER ELON MUSKS EVERY DAY.

>> AND WE HAVE A TENDENCY OF MAKING SPACES IN SPACES WHERE WIE NOT INTENDED TO BE, WE HAVE A WAY OF FINDING THAT OUT.

IF ANYTHING DID HAPPEN TO TWITTER, I THINK BLACK PEOPLE WILL FIND ANOTHER SPACE WHERE ANOTHER VERSION OF BLACK TWITTER WILL HAPPEN.

I KNOW AN INSTAGRAM I GO TO ADDICTED TO BLACK, WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR TO BLACK TWITTER, MASTODON HAS COME UP AS A PLATFORM THAT'S DOING THE SAME THING THAT TWITTER HAS.

SO I THINK BLACK TWITTER IS SOMETHING BIGGER THAN IT IS.

IT'S THIS FORCE THAT CREATES AND SHAPES CULTURE, THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE, HOW QUICKLY WE COMMUNICATE, AND I THINK IT'S AN ONGOING THING.

TWITTER IS LIKE AN UNFINISHED THING.

IT WILL CONTINUALLY BE EVOLVING AND WE WILL EVOLVE WITH IT.

>> AND WE'VE SEEN IT EVOLVE.

MEREDITH, YOU SAID HISTORY SUPPORTS.

TALK TO US ABOUT THAT.

>> I'M OFTEN ASKED WHAT THE AFTER BLACK 2013, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO SEE WHAT COMES NEXT, AND I ACTUALLY LIKE TO GO BACKWARD AND THINK HOW BLACK PEOPLE HAVE USED THE TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO US THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ERA TO GET OUR MESSAGES OUT, RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE TO PUT OUR MESSAGES FOR OURSELVES.

SO YOU CAN LOOK BACK TO FREEDOM'S JOURNAL AND ITS PUBLICATION IN 1827.

YOU CAN LOOK BACK TO THE BLACK PRESS PRESENTING A COUNTERNARRATIVE OF THE SIGHT MOVEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY, BLACK RADIO CREATING SPACES FOR US TO BE HEARD OVER THE AIR WAVES WITH OUR TALK SHOWS AND MUSIC PLAYING THE FOLKS THAT COULDN'T GET PLAYED ON MAIN STREAM RADIO, THE BLACK BLOGOSPHERE WHICH PREDATED BLACK TWITTER.

SO WHATEVER COPS NEXT.

MARK ZUCKERBERG HAS SOFT TRADEMARKED META TO GET US THINKING ABOUT THAT BEING THE METAVERSE BUT MARK ZUCKERBERG DOESN'T CONTROL THE METAVERSE.

SO BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE FUTURE, WILL BE IN THE FUTURE AND BE THERE BUILDING AS WE'VE DONE THAT IN THE PAST.

>> Pope: YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MIC DROP THAT EARLIER, BUT YOU ARE 100% SPOT ON AND I'M SO GLAD YOU TOOK US BACK TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE WILL ALWAYS FIND OUR COMMUNITY, WE WILL ALWAYS MOBILIZE COMMUNITY AND CREATE IT NO MATTER WHAT SPACE WE'RE IN.

JENEEÉ, TAKE US BACK TO THE GOLDEN GLORY DAYS OF 2013 AND WHERE ARE WE THOUSAND.

IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S A WEIRD THING THAT THE HAPPENING, EVERYBODY IS, LIKE, TWITTER IS SCAREY, ELON MUSK IS A SUPER VILLAIN, WHICH HE IS.

I JOINED TWITTER UNDER A WHOLE DIFFERENT ACCOUNT, A DIFFERENT NAME BECAUSE AS A BLACK WOMAN JOURNALISTS I DEALT WITH A LOT OF RACISM AND HATE AND TWITTER WAS A BEAUTIFUL OUTLET WHERE I FOUND OTHER BLACK PEOPLE CRACKING JOKES, ACTING UP, LIVING OUR BEST LIFE ONLINE, ALSO SNEAKER TWITTER WAS THERE.

>> AND YOU COULD SEE YOUR SNEAKERS.

>> AND IT'S JUST A REAL FUN PLACE.

SCANDAL ON TWITTER -- >> OH, YES.

WATCHING SCANDAL ON TWITTER -- >> THE WAY OLIVIA BROUGHT IT THROUGH.

>> WATCHING SCANDAL ON TWITTER BEFORE INSECURE ON TWITTER WAS A MOVE.

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE BECAUSE YOU COULD MEET FRIENDS AND GET BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS.

I WAS A BLACK PERSON IN THE MIDWEST AT THE TIMICS AND YOU COULD -- IF YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKED A THING OR YOU TINTED HAVE A COMMUNITY AT WORK OR MAYBE YOUR COMMUNITY WAS REALLY SMALL, ON TWITTER YOUR COMMUNITY BECAME VERY BIG, IT BECAME HUGE, AND THEN YOU COULD MEET PEOPLE THAT, HEY, I'M IN NEW YORK, LET'S LINK UP AND HAVE LUNCH, COFFEE, WHICH IS HOW I MET SOME OF THE CLOSE FRIENDS I HAVE TODAY.

OR I WOULD BE AT A CONFERENCE AND SOMEBODY WOULD BE LIKE, AREN'T YOU -- AND I WOULD BE, LIKE, OH, YEAH, IT'S ME.

AND THEN EVENTUALLY, I HAD TO COME ON TWITTER AS A RESULT OF MY JOB AS MYSELF.

AND THEN THAT'S WHEN THINGS GOT UGLY BECAUSE ALL THE THINGS I WAS RUNNING FROM HAPPENED, CAME TRUE.

DEATH THREATS ON TWITTER, ATTACKED ON TWITTER, BEING TROLLED, THE WHOLE THING.

>> AND THIS PLACE THAT WAS SO SAFE AND SO COMMUNAL AND JUST LIKE YOU ALMOST DESCRIBE -- I WAS THINKING OF HAWKEYE THE MOVIE CROOKLAND, I WAS THINKING THIS IS OUR PLAYGROUND -- >> IT WAS UTOPIAN AND THEN IT BECAME AMERICA, IT WAS THIS FANTASY PLACE THAT WAS VERY REAL BUT IT WAS, LIKE -- OF COURSE, IT WAS EVENTUALLY GOING TO MIMIC AMERICA AND EVOLVE AND, ALSO, PART OF THE THING ABOUT BLACK TWITTER IS, LEAK YOU SAID, IT'S ALWAYS EVOLVING.

LIKE HIP-HOP BECAME USEFUL, BLACK TWITTER IS OURS BUT ALSO BECAME VERY UNIVERSALS.

YOU SEE IT IN THE LANGUAGE.

THERE ARE TWEETS I SEE SOMETIMES AND THEY'RE NOT FROM US BUT THEY'RE WRITTEN IN OUR LANGUAGE AND CULTURE, AND IT'S BECOME A THING VERY MUCH LIKE THE EARLIER DAYS OF HIP-HOP WHERE YOU'RE LIKE, WAIT, WHO IS THIS FOR AND IS THIS LANGUAGE MINE ANYMORE?

I RUN ACROSS PEOPLE SOMETIMES WHO WILL SAY THINGS AND I WILL SAY THAT WORD IS NOT FOR YOU.

>> YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SAYING THAT.

>> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU CAROLINE ABOUT YOU SAYING YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE PARTICIPATING.

YOU SAID WHEN YOU ENGAGED THIS TOPIC WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS, SHARE THIS WITH US.

>> I ASKED MY FOLLOWERS IF BLACK TWITTER IS FOR EVERYONE OR JUST BLACK PEOPLE.

THE FIRST REACTION I GOT FROM PEOPLE IS DON'T GO ANYWHERE, WE LOVE TO LEARN FROM YOUR LIFE STORIES AND IF YOU GO FROM BLACK TWITTER YOU'RE SORT OF BLOCKING US OUT.

I HAVE BEEN PART OF BLACK TWITTER THE ENTIRE TIME.

YOU HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN BLACK 2013 THE ENTIRE TIME.

I SHARE A LOT OF UNCOMFORTABLE TOPICS, BECAUSE I'M DIASPORA, MY EXPERIENCES IN MALAWI, HOW ONCE I THOUGHT AMERICA COULD DO NO WRONG AND HOW THAT CHANGED, SO WHEN PEOPLE LEARN FROM AN OUTSIDER -- JUST AN AFTERNOON, BECAUSE I'M NOT AFRICAN-AMERICAN -- I THINK MY FOLLOWERS PROCESS MY INFORMATION IN A MORE UNDERSTANDING WAY THAN IF AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WERE SHARING THE SEAM STORIES BECAUSE I HAVE THAT OUTSIDE LENS.

SO MY FOLLOWERS IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT I WAS GOING SOMEWHERE, THAT THEY CAN'T BE A PART OF IT, AND I WAS TRYING TO MAKE THEM AWAY THEY ARE A PART ALREADY.

>> THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN ENGAGING IN IT.

ELON MUSK HAS BOUGHT TWITTER, THE DEEP SIDE.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALREADY IN A STRANGE PLACE, RIGHT.

HIKE, WE CAN'T -- LIKE, WE CAN'T, I DON'T KNOW IT'S FAIR TO SAY ELON MUSK BROKE TWITTER.

IT WAS ALREADY MOVING TO A TRAINING PLACE.

BUT -- STRANGE PLACE, BUT MY ALGORITHM LOOKS LIKE A MESS.

IF SOMETHING WAS BREAKING YOU WENT TO TWITTER TO FIND IT OUT.

IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE, THE TOP BREAKING NEWS.

YOU HAVE TO SEARCH FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE BIG, BIG STAGE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU HAVE TO NAVIGATE TWITTER NOW, DANIELLE?

>> I THINK THAT FREE SPEECH HAS pCONVOLUTED A LOT OF PEOPLE'S BRAIN CELLS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M SAYING THAT RIGHT, BUT I THINK WE'RE GETTING CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT FREE SPEECH IS.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE TAKING IT AND RUNNING WITH IT AND FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE NO CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE I'M ALLOWED TO SAY WHATEVER I WANT BECAUSE THIS IS A FREE SPEECH PLATFORM NOW, EVERYBODY'S BACK ON AND EVERYBODY CAN SAY WHAT THEY WANT, AND I THINK PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO ACTIONS, THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO SPEECH.

IT MIGHT NOT COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT WHICH FREE SPEECH WAS MADE FOR GOVERNMENT.

A PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, PLATFORM IS NOT UNDER THAT JURISDICTION, NEITHER IS YOUR PERSONAL LIFESTYLE OR WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT THINGS.

NOWADAYS WHEN EVERYBODY'S SO SENSITIVE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE IS UP IN ARMS AND TENSE, THERE'S A LOT TBOAK ON, AND PEOPLE NEED TO BE CAREFUL.

YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT TO.

ETH AN OPEN PLATFORM.

>> -- IT'S AN OPEN PLATFORM, IT'S A FREE-FOR-ALL.

PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WORDS MEAN THINGS, THEY AFFECT PEOPLE, THEY HURT PEOPLE, AND THAT INFLUENCES BEG, BIG, TOO.

I THINK IT'S ELON'S INFLUENCE THAT ALLOWED PEOPLE TO FEEL THAT THEY CAN DO THE SAME THINGS HE DOES, THAT THEY ARE ALLOWED TO BE AS RIDICULOUS AND AS TREE AS HE -- FREE AS HE WANTS TO BE.

HE'S ALSO A VERY VERY RICH MAN, AND MOST OF US ARE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THAT, SO OUR CONSEQUENCES ARE A LOT DEEPER THAN WHAT THEY WOULD BE FOR HIM, SO I THINK THAT'S THE PART THE WE NEED TO TREAD LIGHTLY ON.

>> Pope: ABSOLUTELY, DANIELLE.

AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS BECAUSE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY NEEDED TO BE BLOCKED SOONER PRE-ELON, YOU DID FEEL THE BLOCKING WAS A BIT MORE OBJECTIVE, AND, TODAY, IT'S I'M GOING TO BLOCK YOU BECAUSE I DON'TREICH WHAT YOU SAID OR YOU'RE AGAINST ME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

MEREDITH, TALK TO US ABOUT THAT.

IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE WORKING TO FOLKS AND TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES ON TWITTER, BLACK WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, I THINK ABOUT HOW BLACK WOMEN HAVE CREATED SECURITY PRACTICES TO SORT OF PROMOTE THEIR OWN SAFETY AND HELP THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES ON THE PLATFORM.

SO BLOCKING AND MUTING BECOMES PART OF THAT.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING FOR THE PLATFORM ITSELF TO REMOVE SOMEONE, TO TAKE THEM OFF THE PLATFORM, LIKE THE FORMER PRESIDENT, TO TAKE OFF PROVOKE TIEWRS AND OTHERS, BUT THIS IS A WAY FOR ME TO ENGAGE IN A NOISY SPACE AND STILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE CONNECTIONS TO THE PEOPLE I WANT, HEAR THE INFORMATION I NEED, BUT MAINTAIN MY OWN PEACE OF MIND AS I'M USING THIS.

WE WERE NOT DESIGNED AS HUMAN BEINGS TO GET ALL THE CONTENT WE RECEIVE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, SO WE NEED TO USE THE TOOLS AND AFFORDANCES TO PROMOTE OUR OWN EXPERIENCES.

>> ARE YOU AS ACTIVE ON TWITTER AS YOU USED TO BE?

>> NO, I'M VERY ACTIVE.

AND I THINK IT PROBABLY HAS TO DO WITH MARKETING MY BOOK.

I AM THE PRODUCT BECAUSE I WRITE MEMOIRS.

SO I AM THE PRODUCT, TOO, THAT I'M PUTTING OUT THERE.

SO I TRY TO STAY RELEVANT AND CONNECT WITH MY AUDIENCE.

IT CAN BE THOUGHT PROVOKING THINGS.

IT CAN BE HUMOR AND TELLING MY STORY AGAIN AS AN AFRICAN LIVING IN AMERICA, AND THAT HELPS WITH, LIKE, MY BOOK SALES.

SO I STAY ACTIVE AND CONNECTED WITH THEM.

>> SO FOR YOU, IT'S STILL A TOOL.

IT'S STILL A TOOL.

>> IT'S A TOOL THAT WORKS.

JENEEÉ, YOU SAID NO.

>> IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ELON.

I SLOWED DOWN AN TWITTER A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

I'M STILL THERE, AND I'M STILL -- I MEAN, I TWEET MY WORK OUT.

I LAUGH AT A COUPLE OF JOKES.

I MIGHT TUNE IN TO A TWITTER SPACE HERE AND THIS, BUT TWITTER WAS BROKEN BEFORE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IT WAS DEVOLVING BEFORE.

PEOPLE WERE GETTING ATTACKED BEFORE.

I AM MUTING AND BLOCKING LIKE MUTOMBO IN THESE TWITTERS.

>> AND AS LONG STRONG.

MY BLOCK GAME IS STRONG, NO, NO, NO... (LAUGHTER) AND IT'S A LOT TO DEAL WITH.

THE THING THAT WE NEED TO REMEMBER IS WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THOSE FIRST 12 HOURS WHEN ELON ACQUIRED TWITTER, HE HADN'T CHANGED A THING.

IT WAS -- TO YOUR PROPERTY, IT WAS JUST THE INFLUENCE OF THE NAME IS WHAT CREATED THOSE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF HATE SPEECH TWEETS.

SO IT WAS JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY THERE, THEY WERE THERE.

IT WASN'T NEW PEOPLE.

IT WASN'T NEW RULES EVEN.

IT WAS NOTHING HAD BEEN CHANGED.

AND, SO, YOU HAD TO THINK, THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ALREADY DEALING WITH.

THEY JUST FELT EVEN MORE EMPOWERED, KIND OF LIKE WE WERE ALREADY DEALING WITH THESE RACES AND DONALD TRUMP GAVE HIM A MEGA PHONE AND PERMISSION TO KIND OF VOCALIZE IT.

SO, YEAH, I'VE SLOWED DOWN, I'M ON INSTAGRAM.

I AM ON THE GRAM.

TIKTOK IS FUN BUT VERY BUSY FOR ME.

SO, YEAH, Facebook IS JUST NOT A PLACE WHERE I'M ONLY THERE BECAUSE MY FAMILY MAKES ME.

THAT IS THE FAMILY HUB.

>> I'M THERE BECAUSE MY FAMILY MAKES ME.

IT'S A FAMILY GROUP CHAT.

>> SO WHERE ELSE ARE WE?

JENEEÉ, YOU SAID INSTAGRAM, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT SPENDING AS MUCH TIME ON TWITTER, WHERE ARE YOU?

I'M GOING TO BACK TO THE SPACE I WISH MORE PEOPLE ON TWITTER WOULD ADOPT AND THAT'S MY JOURNAL.

I'M GOING BACK TO PEN AND PAPER BECAUSE A HOT OF THINGS JUST AREN'T FOR TWITTER.

NOT ONLY MY JOURNAL, BUT THE WRITING I DO PROFESSIONALLY, GETTING IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE AND SITTING DOWN AND HAVING MORE CONVERSATIONS FACE-TO-FACE AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE THOSE ARE CREATIVE SPACES, AND ONE OF THE BIG LESSONS OF BEING ON TWITTER FOR ME AS AN AC DECHG AND ME AS A PERSON WHO MAKES MONEY FROM THE WORD I WRITE, IS YOU CAN PUT THE IDEAS AND WORD OUT THERE, AND YOU KNOW ONCE YOU PUT SOMETHING OUT ON THE INTERNET, YOU NO LONGER CONTROL IT.

I HAVE SEEN IDEAS AND CULTURAL WORKS TAKEN FROM BLACK PEOPLE, BLACK WOMEN IN SPECIFIC, AND OTHER FOLKS RUN OFF WITH THEM.

AS I ENCOURAGE OTHER PEOPLE TO DO, I CREATE IN SPACES I HAVE MORE CREATIVE CONTROL OVER.

>> I LOVE THAT, MEREDITH.

TAKE US BACK TO PEN AND PAPER.

I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID WAS PEACE.

I HEARD PEACE WHEN YOU SAID THAT.

MENTAL PEACE.

I WANT TO TALK QUICKLY ABOUT YOU SAID BLACK WOMEN AND HOW THE STATS SHOW BLACK WOMEN ARE MORE ENDANGERED ON 2013 THAN, YOU KNOW -- ON TWITTER THAN OUR COUNTERPARTS.

WHAT DUPING ABOUT THAT, DANIELLE?

BLACK WOMEN ARE ENDANGERED.

PROTECT BLACK WOMEN IS OUT THERE FOR A REASON BECAUSE THE WORLD IS LOONY AND YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.

ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES DO THE SAIL THING.

WHEN YOU GO ON THERE, YOU'RE FIGHTING AGAINST SO MANY THINGS, YOU'RE FIGHTING AGAINST WHITE MEN, BLACK MEN, WHITE WOMEN, TROLLS, AND PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING AND BE RELEVANT.

THE MOST DANGER COMES FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT.

THEY HAVE FIVE TO 12 FOLLOWERS AND ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST THREADS AND THEY ARE LITERALLY GOING AT PEOPLE.

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I HAVE BEEN CALLED ON TWITTER, AND I'M, LIKE, IF I KNEW YOU OR IF I KNEW THAT YOU WERE ANY TYPE OF RELEVANCE, MAYBE IT WOULD AFFECT ME BUT YOU'RE SITTING BEHIND A SCREEN, I DON'T KNOW WHO OR WHERE YOU ARE, SO IT IS, LIKE JENEEÉ SAYS, THAT BLOCK GAME IS VERY STRONG, MUTING PEOPLE THAT EVEN I FOLLOW I MIGHT LIKE BUT THEY ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DIFFERENT.

SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT MUTE BUTTON AND THAT BLOCK PART IS REALLY HARD.

I DON'T REALLY SEE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY TOWARD ME OR BLACK WOMEN, BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S, LIKE, AN OVERLYING CLOUD THAT'S ALWAYS OUT THERE.

WE ARE THE LEAST PROTECTED, THE LEAST RESPECTED, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, AND IT KIND OF MANIFESTS ITSELF ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE IN REAL LIFE.

>> UNSANCTIONED PLATFORMS LIKE IT A FREE-FOR-ALL.

>> YES.

OU HAVE A WORD FOR PEOPLE BEHIND THEM.

>> THUMB THUGS.

THEY DON'T HAVE HAND ON THE STREET.

THE THUMB THUGS.

>> THUMB THUGS.

AND, I MEAN, CAROLINE, YOU SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR TWITTER BUT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THAT?

>> YES, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT.

BECAUSE I TALK ABOUT A LOT OF UNCOMFORTABLE THINGS AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY PEOPLE SAY CERTAIN THINGS TO BLACK PEOPLE.

THEY LOVE THAT TOPIC BECAUSE YOU GET A LOT OF MEDIOCRE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK ABOUT AFRICANS, AND I PUT THAT OUT THERE AS PEOPLE KNOW WHAT I THINK AS AN AFRICA HEARING RACIST REMARKS ABOUT US.

SO A LOT OF UNCOMFORTABLE THINGS COME UP.

I DON'T POST FOR LIKABILITY.

I SAY IF YOUR ACIVISM IS ROOTED IN LIKABILITY, THEN I DON'T WANT IT.

SO FOR THE MOST PART, I REMEMBER THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I DID POST FOR LIKABILITY FOR A WHILE BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID.

I WAS AFRAID OF GETTING ATARKSD TROLLED.

THEN I SAID IS THIS THE VOICE THAT I WANT TO HAVE, GIVING PEOPLE WHAT I THINK THEY WANT TO HEAR, OR CAN I USE A VOICE TO VOICE OUT THE THINGS THAT THE UNDERREPRESENTED PEOPLE NEED?

SO I MADE A CONSCIOUS DECISION AT SOME POINT, I'M STRONG IN MYSELF OUTSIDE.

I ALSO WRITE IN MY JOURNALS, AND WHEN I GO ON TWITTER, I'M STRONG IN WHO I AM, ALREADY.

SO IF SOMEBODY TRIES TO TROLL ME, YES, I CAN BLOCK, IT DOESN'T PHASE ME, I KNOW WHY I'M PUTTING MY WORK OUT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, SO.

>> Pope: THAT IS GOOD AND THANK YOU FOR THAT, CAROLINE, BECAUSE TWITTER IS A PLACE OR HAD BEEN A PLACE FOR US TO HAVE DISCOURSE, CONVERSATION, AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU'VE GOT TO DO THAT WITH PEOPLE WHO THINK DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU, YOU KNOW.

AND, SO, WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION A BIT MORE, BUT WHAT IS ONE THING -- I'LL GIVE YOU FAVE SECONDS -- WHAT'S ONE THING YOU WOULD SAY ABOUT BLACK TWITTER.

>> BLACK TWITTER CONTAINS ALLEGIANCE JUST IN THE SAME WAY THAT THERE'S NO ONE BLACK COMMUNITY.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BLACK COMMUNITIES AND EVERYTHING THAT MAKES US SPECTACULAR, BLACK TWITTER CONTAINS LEGIONS.

>> DANIELLE?

, BLACK TWITTER IS FUN.

>> Pope: JENEEÉ.

ROTECT BLACK TWITTER.

>> Pope: HASHTAG.

MM-HMM.

AND SHAPE SHIFTER OF CULTURE AND IT WILL ENERGIZE YOU.

>> Pope: I LOVE THESE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

THIS HAS BEEN AMAZING.

WE'LL CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION.

WE HAVE MORE NITTY GRITTY TO GET INTO AS WE TALK ABOUT BLACK TWITTER BUT THIS HAS BEEN AWESOME SO FAR.

THIS IS THE END OF OUR BROADCAST AND THE END OF OUR SHOW.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

BUT STAY WITH US-- WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION ON OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS, YOUTUBE, AND FACEBOOK.

STAY WITH US BECAUSE THIS CONVERSATION IS ABOUT TO CONTINUE.