Andrea Campbell makes an ‘X-it’

Before social media, you had a general awareness there were large groups of shouty people with strong opinions and sometimes little sense.

After the advent of social media, it became apparent whatever the number was, it was an undercount.

The agglomeration of people drew in candidates and elected officials, along with media types, who saw value in being part of a conversation, and attempting to drive it. That’s now changed, as the fragmentation of traditional media has also spread to social media.

In the case of Twitter, currently known as X, there have been exits in fits and starts. Count Andrea Campbell as the latest to leave the Elon Musk-owned platform. The attorney general says X has “no guardrails and no accountability” while promoting hate and disinformation and allowing use of AI to exploit children.

X is unique in that sense, Campbell said in a phone interview, explaining why she remains on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Google and Meta, and has accounts on Threads and Bluesky. “We can’t just go through traditional media outlets,” she said. “We want to be engaging people.”

She reintroduced herself to Bluesky users over the weekend. But her X exit drew criticism, as well as a mocking farewell post from Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who has clashed with Campbell over the audit-the-legislature law. “It’s performative virtue signalling from a politician who sees no need to delve outside of their echo chamber,” Jeff Semon, a Republican activist, said via email.

Isn’t all discussion of politics on social media performative virtue signaling? “On some level, yes,” Semon said. “But she could have just dropped her account without announcing it. That’s the specific example here and retreating from the public square isn’t a wise move. Those wanting to influence policy need to be seen.”

But X/Twitter has rarely been the public square, even if it sometimes bears a resemblance to the stocks of Puritan Boston or the mob in “Young Frankenstein.” YouTube and Facebook are the “most widely used online platforms” by far, while X, Threads and Bluesky rank closer to the bottom, according to Pew. (As the Boston Globe noted, elected officials are now looking to connect with non-threatening influencers, like the creator of “Bucket List Boston.”)

Nor is X necessarily reflective of who votes. In her departure, Campbell joined Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who was prolific on Twitter as a councilor and shifted to Bluesky. X overflowed with hate-filled posts last year attacking Wu. She was easily reelected to a second term.

There’s something to the notion that Bluesky is a liberal echo chamber, Northeastern University’s Dan Kennedy said. But, he added, “Bluesky can get pretty nasty. It just comes from the left.” It’s also not quite as effective as Twitter was in its heyday around 2013 and 2014.

Twitter/X has become worse since Musk bought it and “supercharged extreme right-wing content and white nationalist accounts,” Kennedy said, while a Twitter substitute has been hard to find.

“The days when everybody could gather around the social media campfire are pretty much over,” he said.

Dylan Byers of Puck recently noted that “the center of gravity has moved off social media and into private messaging.” Email is still the killer app to me. What’s your take? Email me here: gin@massterlist.com.

HAPPENING TODAY

7:15 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper welcome back Mildred Avenue K-8 students, families, and staff on the first day of school following winter break and the recent snowstorm. | Mildred Avenue K-8 School, 5 Mildred Avenue, Mattapan

8:30 | MASSterList and State House News Service/State Affairs host Keller @ Large LIVE with Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano. Doors open for networking and light refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed by the program at 9:30 a.m. | MCLE Conference Center, 10 Winter Pl., Boston | Register

10:00 | Secretary of Economic Development Eric Paley will deliver keynote remarks at an Associated Industries of Massachusetts Commonwealth Conversation, addressing business leaders on the state’s economic outlook, followed by a discussion with AIM President and CEO Brooke Thomson. | Amazon, 101 Main St., Cambridge | RSVP required

10:00 | MassBio hosts a Rare Disease Day Forum, which will focus on advancements in gene therapies and connecting patients to timely treatments. MassBio Chief Business Officer Laura Hamilton gives opening remarks. An update from the Rare Disease Advisory Council features Sen. Paul Feeney and Rep. Jay Livingstone. Peter Marks, former director of the FDA‘s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, gives a keynote on advancing rare disease innovation. | MassBioHub, 700 Technology Square, 5th floor, Cambridge | Register

12:00 | The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors meets. | 10 Park Plaza, MassDOT Board Room, Boston | More Info

ANOTHER SENATE SEAT OPENS UP

Sen. Jason Lewis made a rare decision for an elected official who hasn’t even turned 60 yet: He announced he isn’t running for reelection.

“I look forward to continuing to serve my constituents until the last day of this legislative term,” the 57-year-old Winchester Democrat said in a statement Tuesday. “After that I will begin a new chapter in my life, one in which I will find new ways to make a meaningful impact.”

Lewis, the co-chair of the Education Committee, was among the first Democrats locally to publicly suggest 81-year-old President Biden step aside after his disastrous 2024 debate performance.

The district includes Melrose and Malden, as well as Stoneham and Wakefield. Lewis won a three-way special Democratic primary to replace Katherine Clark, who ascended to Congress.

Lewis’s open seat is expected to draw in the next generation. Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, a former Melrose city councilor and chief legal counsel to the Executive Office of Education, is widely viewed as a likely candidate.

Rep. Mike Day, a Stoneham Democrat and Judiciary Committee co-chair, is also in the district. But Beacon Hill watchers say he is more likely a contender for the Ways and Means chairmanship when that opens up, or another House leadership post.

FROM BEACON HILL

WARNING SIGNS: The Massachusetts economy is lagging the U.S., and the Bay State’s labor market is indicating “relative weakness,” a new report from MassBenchmarks says. – State House News Service

HOUSE ENERGY BILL: House lawmakers are poised to move ahead with energy legislation, but if it clears the chamber, it heads over to the Senate, where Michael Barrett, a “climate hawk,” reigns. – CommonWealth Beacon

INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT: Massachusetts is one of six states that provides state funding for special education student transportation through a reimbursement process, according to a new report from Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro’s office. The process creates administrative and financial burdens on school districts already facing strained finances. – Boston Globe

UNH POLL: Gov. Maura Healey maintains a lead over each of the three men running for the GOP nomination, according to a new University of New Hampshire poll, though 51% of survey respondents say they approved of Healey’s job performance. The same poll found that U.S. Sen. Ed Markey is ahead of Seth Moulton, with 35% saying they would vote for the incumbent in the primary, and 23% would back Moulton. Thirty percent are undecided. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

BLIZZARD LATEST: The Cape town of Wellfleet is still completely without power two days after the powerful winter storm slammed into the east coast of Massachusetts. As of 6:45 a.m., 158,000 people, mostly on the Cape, remained without power. The ban on nonessential travel has been lifted, Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced yesterday. – MassLive

ICE FACILITY AXED: New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said the Department of Homeland Security has abandoned plans for a “detention center” in Merrimack, saying Secretary Kristi Noem heard the town’s concerns. – Boston Herald

ALLEY FIGHT: Boston’s zoning board of appeal gave the okay to developers looking to turn the former mansion of Eben Jordan, co-founder of the Boston Globe and Jordan Marsh, into luxury condos. But Beacon Hill residents are concerned about the parking situation. – Universal Hub