Things We Lost in the (Dumpster) Fire

“What comes after Black Twitter?” is the wrong question, but one many have asked in the years since the phenomenon first attracted mainstream media attention. The question took on renewed urgency when the platform was purchased by a South African billionaire in 2022, but the lesson remains: Black Twitter’s place in media history is like Black people’s place in the history of the world. Ever-present, ever-relevant, ever-evolving. This chapter provides a look back at how lessons from Black Twitter, particularly its response to historically whitewashed journalism, should be applied to develop more honest, just, accurate, and culturally competent news-making in the future.