Jordan Peterson has abandoned his Twitter account with 2.7 million followers
Jordan Peterson © Global Look Press via ZUMA Press / JERREVÃ…NG STEFAN
After criticizing the incentive structure of the social media site and accusing it of being “dangerously insane,” famed Canadian psychologist and public intellectual Jordan Peterson announced on Tuesday that he is leaving his Twitter account and its 2.7 million followers behind. He has also committed to writing an article on the mechanisms of Twitter’s pernicious influence on its users.
Peterson says his previous experience of abstaining from Twitter for three weeks allowed him to read and write more. “It was a genuine relief,” he wrote. But as soon as he returned to Twitter, he said, his life instantly became worse.
“The endless flood of vicious insult is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else,” he wrote in one of his last posts, adding that “the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane.”
The endless flood of vicious insult is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else. I like to follow the people I know but I think the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane. https://t.co/NlWTUKRHlG
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) May 17, 2022
While expressing sadness over the decision, some of Peterson’s followers supported the move, agreeing with his criticism of social media. Others ridiculed him, saying he didn’t stop posting on Twitter after promising to quit.
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Jordan Peterson is the author of the bestselling book ‘12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos’. A strong opponent of political correctness and identity politics who has gained widespread popularity among conservatives, he is also known for his controversial stance on gender identity and refusal to use certain gender pronouns. Peterson has 5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
