Thread by @chadfelixg

Here is the thing about Twitter @jack,

I ventured onto Twitter in 2008 with zero connections to the political world. I was just a new voice in a sea of voices.

I made friends, engaged with accomplished people in my chosen fields of interest and earned interest in return.

I found my voice and became inspired to write.

I was published on websites I frequently visted and my work was shared on Twitter by people I respected. People I only knew from books and TV followed me and we engaged in interesting discussion.

I talked to real people.

My work was recognized and I was verified. I earned the trust and respect of my peers in my field, wrote and published several books, did interviews with my favorite people, became a professional writer ...

All because of the platform Twitter offered.

I have gotten to share my life with the people I engage with here. I made friends with political opponents and witnessed important life events with real people from around the world.

I met my husband here. Shared my wedding and the people who choose to follow me celebrated.

I have had the chance to witness and directly interact with dozens of major world events, in real time, with thousands of other people simultaneously. I have watched history unfold.

This is something no other group of people have ever shared together in history.

Twitter matters.
But over time, rather than a free and open exchange with the world, it has felt more and more like a place where voices like mine are targeted, unwelcome and intentionally suppressed. People can no longer experience Twitter the way I did. New voices are lost.

The people I follow sometimes cannot see me in their feeds and I no longer see them. Fewer and fewer voices appear in my timeline. I search for people to find what they said hours before.

It feels as though we are filtered, censored and even silenced selectively.

I don't want to keep fighting or yelling or complaining.

I just want to enjoy this brilliant platform that allowed me to find myself, grow in my voice and build my work and perspective again.

I want to see all tweets, in real time.
That's all.

I want to know I can express my views without being censored.

I want to feel safe in speaking out, speaking up and challenging authority.

I want to ask questions, debate and engage without fear of losing everything I have built over one offended person.

I want Twitter back.

I don't want to be protected from content.

Seeing controversial voices allowed me to know what was happening in the world from all sides and develop strong views. Seeing the extremes let's me know exactly where I stand.

We need the freedom to be offended.

Finally, the safety I need is simple: If people threaten me or my family or expose my private information I want Twitter to intervene.

Everyone else I will block or mute.

I want to see the rules applied fairly; not subjectively through a political filter.

I want consistency.

You created something unique and powerful.

You gave regular people like me the opportunity to build a voice and engage with the world and genuinely be heard.

But the more you try to protect us or satisfy the demands of the mob, @jack, the less your creation freely lives.

Please just give us our Twitter back and let us control our own feeds, view our own content and be free from political suppression and censorship.

That's all we ask.