[DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

[DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Sinking_Otter 07 Apr 2026 05:15

O4 Thread Link: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-17697056/discussion-preliminary-discussion-cease-operating-the-offici

The Internet Outreach¹ team has over recent months recieved multiple requests from users for us to stop operating the official SCP Wiki Twitter/X Account. These requests cite the increase in hate speech on the platform, an increase in bot accounts, and allowing AI to be used to actively harm others².

For these reasons, and other raised within user requests and reported in the media, IO has decided to begin a review into whether or not we should cease operating the official SCP Wiki Twitter account. To be clear, under no circumstances would the account be fully deleted, but instead the Twitter will cease posting. Our followers on Twitter would then be directed to alternate platforms on which we have a presence such as Instagram and Bluesky.

The review will be in three parts:

1. Allow users and staff to provide feedback on and ask questions about the official Twitter via O4 and O5 threads. These threads will be monitored by the IO team.

2. Begin to better promote the Wiki’s official Bluesky account to inform users of its existence and give them an alternate way to view the off-site communication from the Wiki. These steps will include adding the Bluesky to the Wiki’s sidebar and promoting it on the Wiki’s Twitter and other social media accounts.

3. Once all feedback has been collected and reviewed, make a decision regarding closing the Wiki’s Twitter account.

This thread was created both to inform users and staff of this review and to assess user and staff sentiment around keeping open or shuttering the Wiki's Twitter Account per step 1 of this review.

IO will consider all feedback from the O4 and O5 threads before any further action takes place. Feedback will be gathered over the course of one week and is open to all staff.

Footnotes

1. Also known as IO

2. Including but not limited to deepfake imagery

Last edited on 07 Apr 2026 05:29 by Sinking_Otter Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

UncannyClown 07 Apr 2026 05:52

i believe that it is immoral to encourage people to use twitter due to its aggressive proliferation of fascist propaganda, misinformation, and ai-generated csam, which rises above even the level of other mainstream social media platforms. i further believe that the wiki continuing to maintain an official twitter constitutes encouraging people to use the website by creating a sanctioned fandom space that people can gather around and use to interact with wiki staff. for these reasons, i believe that shuttering the official twitter and directing people toward alternative platforms is the moral course of action, and i support it accordingly.

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poet

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Calibold 07 Apr 2026 08:48

Deleting the Twitter would be a monumentally stupid decision. I genuinely cannot wrap my head around how this could be a good idea, and considering the state of staff trust right now I think we should be a lot more careful about making even more public blunders.

Let's go over the cons of keeping a Twitter account: it is an account on a platform that also hosts bad people and harmful rhetoric; not exclusively, of course, but they exist to a noticeable degree. If we keep an account on Twitter, there is a possibility that it might increase engagement on the platform to an utterly infinitesimal degree. There might be a couple people who even join Twitter to follow the official SCP account. This is, of course, less than a fraction of a rounding error in Twitter's total engagement, but I suppose it is possible that it exists.

The cons of losing the Twitter account: we lose our largest social media account by a country mile. It has almost 280,000 followers compared to our Instagram's 58,000, Facebook's 61,000, and Bluesky's 11,000. It reaches more people than all of our other social media platforms combined, unless you count the subreddit, which would be comparable to counting the number of times people use #SCP on Twitter. We would no longer be able to make important announcements to a large swath of our audience. Imagine if we hadn't used the Twitter to announce that we were removing the SCP-173 image, or that we had a community project to alleviate it.

Importantly, having a strong presence on such a major platform allows us to respond to or announce important developments in site culture or community occurrences. The ability to engage with the community outside of the site itself is fundamental to preserving a cohesive community, now more than ever. Bigotry is rampant, which only makes it more important that we have a strong presence to affirm we do not tolerate it. Removing our presence on the platform creates an empty void for bad actors to poison our community on Twitter. Us abandoning ship will not make anyone jump with us, it will only leave them abandoned, and if you think that we're better off leaving behind members of our community simply because they've gotten too entrenched in a place that's become a lot more hostile to them then I can only assume you have more interest in looking squeaky clean and woke than actually giving any actual support. We'd be running away because the bigots got too big and scary rather than standing our ground when it matters the most.

This is virtue signalling. I can't see it as anything but that. This is doing lip service to the idea of solidarity that accomplishes absolutely nothing and only serves to undermine our community. Between this and other recent fiascos, especially now that I've joined staff and seen how the sausage is made, I think we need to ask ourselves if we're more concerned with decorum or with actually maintaining a safe and healthy culture.

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Smells like success.

Last edited on 07 Apr 2026 10:01 by Calibold Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Sinking_Otter 07 Apr 2026 11:21

Right now we’re between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Twitter. It cannot be denied that the platform is the worst of those we currently operate on. Elon Musk’s takeover has been disastrous for the platform and its users and has resulted in many leaving it for alternative platforms like Bluesky, or leaving social media altogether.

In terms of our account, as Calibold said it is by far the largest and the most capable of reaching the wider SCP community, including readers and content creators and even beyond that. Time and again when a post is successful on Twitter is reaches tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people. That kind of reach is incredibly important to the Wiki. It enables us to keep the SCP community informed of what’s happening on the Wiki (contests, Wikijump) and gives us the ability to respond not only to events inside the SCP community but also to those outside it. That is incredibly powerful and losing that by leaving Twitter will cause more harm than many people realise.

But that reach is also a double-edged sword. Users, such as Dr Asteria who has shared her experiences with her promotional post on Twitter in the O4 thread, have been seriously harmed when a post about their work has gone viral (for lack of a better word) on the platform. While this could and has happened on any platform, Twitter has thus far proven to be the platform that can deal the most damage. We as staff on IO cannot stop works on the Wiki being picked up and spread organically, but we can control if and where works are shared by us, thus putting the onerous on us to keep users safe when their works are posted on Official Wiki platforms.

Given all this, I propose an in-between where we keep the Twitter active while taking an approach that puts protecting users first. This proposal would entail:
1. Allowing users to request their works are not to be posted on Twitter by IO. This is something IO was already planning to implement and will eventually be expanded to cover all platforms. IO will be in charge of maintain a database of all users who make this request.

2. Take on board Syuznet’s suggestion and turn off comments by default. Alternatively, IO turns off comments at user request. Again, IO would maintain a database of these requests.

3. Creating a page for users to review before they ask to have their works posts not only on Twitter, but any of our official social media pages. This will cover as many potential risks as we can to ensure users are informed of what may happen if their work is posted.

4. If the above points are implemented, we stop posting contest or event promotions (official or unofficial) on Twitter. This is to ensure fairness, especially during contests where only some entries being posted on Twitter while others aren't could influence voting and ranking.

There are undoubtely further steps we can take to protect users and I support anything more we can do to keep users from being subject to harrassment, downvote campaigns or other such behaviour.

Last edited on 07 Apr 2026 14:43 by Sinking_Otter Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

AWhiteBoy 07 Apr 2026 12:53

I back these steps as the right way to go about this. I think the primary problem with the twitter is the risk of harassment it poses to users on the wiki, and these steps seem to cover those issues nicely.

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Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Ethagon 07 Apr 2026 14:08

I think this is the most sensible approach.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

UncannyClown 07 Apr 2026 17:21

if the twitter is to remain active, i find all of these to be very thoughtful and sensible policy decisions.

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poet

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Jerden 07 Apr 2026 16:18

I have deleted my personal Twitter account, not really in protest but more because I think being on Elon Musk's X was bad for me morally, and I have better ways to spend my time. Bluesky is more pleasant to be on, although also less interesting because of that, so I check the website less and that's probably a good thing for me.

However, I think Calibold raises valid problems with deleting our official account - like it or not the website is not going anywhere and we would lose a lot of reach by no longer posting there. Our official engagement with social media is more about making it work for us and while we have no obligation to be on a platform, it wouldn't really benefit the community to leave, especially if we're mostly just duplicating content that IO would post elsewhere anyway.

I do think the proposed restrictions by SinkingOtter will make IO's life more complicated, but they are not unreasonable.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Prismal 07 Apr 2026 18:44

I agree 100% with Calibold.

With nearly 280000 followers, Twitter is by far our largest platform for outreach. It reaches people in and out of the community who barely interact with the SCP wiki, if at all, and enables us to communicate to those people what all we've got going on. Announcing events or big changes to the site, sharing works on the wiki that many would otherwise never read.

If we stop using the Twitter then we are actively going against our own interests. We'd be limiting our reach, removing a large means of community engagement, limiting potential community growth, scp wiki traffic and work discoverability, less people would hear about events or important announcements.

I understand why staff has been asked about this. I hate Musk, I hate what Twitter has become. Like, I get it. But aside from looking good and maybe feeling good about it, what possible tangible benefit is there in doing this? If we stop using the platform, is that going to make other people stop using the platform? No! I can't imagine that would be the case. If there's anyone using Twitter *just* for the SCP Wiki account, I can't imagine they wouldn't be aware of our other social medias, if the account is that big of a deal to them. And they're actively choosing to use the Twitter over those.

Getting people to stop using Twitter is not our responsibility. Our responsibility, and especially the responsibility of the outreach team is to foster and grow the SCP community. Removing one of our biggest tools to do that is, like, the opposite of outreach. We can't be doing that, we have to do what is best for the site and the community, not let personal feelings sway us at the wiki/community's expense.

In that vein I also don't really recommend turning off comments, since I think letting the community interact with posts is a positive thing, despite the shitheads and bots who also comment.

If people don't want their stuff to be shared on the Twitter, that's understandable and we should obviously respect that. Though in my experience having had a work of mine posted on the Twitter for pride month, I recall that I had to actively submit my work for consideration, and then had to confirm that I indeed still wanted it shared, so I'm under the impression IO is already doing due diligence there, though it never hurts to give authors et al more information on potential risks of having their content shared.

edit: Also very much in agreement with Syuzhet on the 04 mirror

Last edited on 07 Apr 2026 19:39 by Prismal Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Yossipossi 07 Apr 2026 19:59

I don't have time to comment on the nuances of this discussion due to the imminent arrival of Passover. Nevertheless, I assert (in my capacity as the former Internet Outreach Captain) that the sociological impact of the SCP Wiki leaving Twitter would be incredibly minuscule; in comparison, the operational cost of losing our largest PR asset is monumental for site staff — at least, until another platform's account gains similar following and influence.

Should the topic continue to be litigated by Monday, I will be happy to fully elucidate my reasoning. In the interim, I agree with Calibold and Prismal above, though I have more to say on the topic and in response to counterarguments posted in O4.

I am in agreement with Sinking_Otter's suggestions, though specifically prefer the alternative option within point #2, as comments are a critical tool in driving engagement .

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Sinking_Otter 08 Apr 2026 01:34

I also prefer the alternative option both due to engagement as you mentioned and because I don’t think IO needs to turn off comments in all instances. Us tweeting out something capitalising on a trend or meme that doesn’t mention any specific work, or mentions a work from a user who is fine with their articles on being posted by IO on Twitter, should be fine to have leave comments on.

Last edited on 08 Apr 2026 01:39 by Sinking_Otter Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

Rounderhouse 08 Apr 2026 11:37

i am unwilling to nuke our single largest IO presence without a good reason and i do not think symbolism is a good enough reason. that level of reach has come in handy a lot of times — duksin, to name just one — and will invariably continue to do so. there's also something to be said for not just abandoning the forum to the chuds, but that's neither here nor there. the suggestions presented by sinking_otter seem like good limitations.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

CRAt26 08 Apr 2026 17:42

Including what others have already put quite well, leaving the official twitter just shows chuds we are people capable of being chased away from platforms. I frankly don’t see how this is the right response to us getting bombarded with comments on twitter: moreover i don’t see what this actually achieves in any sense, unless you are of the opinion that us being on twitter is actively increasing twitters audience (which I don’t think is verifiable and beyond that isnt really logical: IO posts are, plain and simple, not monumental to the point where people are going to follow us off the platform. They are useful for us in reaching our large audience that exists on twitter, for providing updates and insight, etc. A lot of this comes down to the simple fact that twitter is run by chuds. But tumblr is currently getting sued for systematically discriminating against trans people on the platform; are we leaving there too? Instagram is full of Nazis. Bluesky suppresses pro Palestine posts. Should we clear our entire social media library? If you genuinely believe that, then like, fair enough! But we both know that isn’t ever gonna happen. So what does taking this action actuslly materially achieve? Im not gonna say it’s virtue signaling—i think thats reductive—but I think its worth considering if the reaction is actually sensible beyond the base reasons (which, to be clear, its a reaction i entirely understand; these problems certainly exist, it’s just not something we really have effect on). Ultimately, a ton of normal people still use Twitter. It’s a majority normal people, realistically. The leaving is mostly just removing our contact to a ton of normal people without much material benefit

Re: [DISCUSSION] Preliminary Discussion - Cease Operating the Official SCP Wiki Twitter Account

MetalRavioli 08 Apr 2026 17:52

While I personally wouldn’t have a problem with the account being abandoned as twitter becomes a worse and worse platform by the day, echoing calibolds thoughts it also provides wide reach and engagement to the larger scp community, as well as promoting smaller articles to a bigger audience. I feel these aspects reach farthest on twitter as opposed to facebook and instagram, which is why i wouldn’t mind if the account stayed up.

Disabling comments isn’t a bad idea though, considering the amount of xenophobia on the platform and in the comments on previous posts.