Over the weekend, a number of Twitter accounts were suspended as part of a continuing crackdown on tweetdecking.
y’all twitter is not playing anymore
Teens and twentysomethings with large Twitter followings were making thousands of dollars each month by selling retweets on posts that were most often stolen.
Along with suspending accounts that were believed to be stealing tweets, Twitter also appeared to suspend accounts using aggressive or worrying language.
Twitter is suspending accounts for using what they consider trigger words that incite violence or promote self-harm, no matter what the context is, or how old the tweets are. (The middle screenshot is from a verified artist so truly nobody is exempt) Examples: https://t.co/uvAlpTFD83
Some of those who were apparently affected by this were members of "Stan Twitter" — users who devote themselves and their time on Twitter to hyping various celebrities.
So you’re telling me I can’t joke about wanting to d*e without being suspended ? stan twitter is over
Often their tweets include the type of language people said Twitter was blocking.
The company's guidelines say nothing about suspension for swearing, but they do say that if an account appears to be encouraging self-harm, suicide, or hateful conduct, a user can be banned.
Because of these apparent limitations, people began to move to spaces online where they felt they could speak freely. One of these is the app Vent.
Since its creation, Vent has become known for being a place where young people experiencing mental health or social issues can "vent."
if any of you guys deal with mental health issues or feel like ranting but feel like it’s too personal tweet on twitter you should download the app called ‘vent’
I like the vent app because it makes you choose your emotion for each post. Im feeling... galactic
But following last weekend's suspensions, Twitter stans began to appear there.
One user associated with Stan Twitter who goes by @quyrtz told BuzzFeed News that they set up a Vent account because they were scared of being banned by Twitter for "getting my feelings out."
"I'll get suspended from Twitter," they said. "For cursing and saying things that might be triggering to others. Twitter will suspend you for that."
Some people believe that the language usually used by Twitter stans conflicts with the tone of Vent.
Laughing at mental health problems IS. NOT. OKAY. people on the vent app are triggered by the word "skinny" because many of them suffer with eating disorders and use vent as a safe space which people from twitter are abusing. Grow up and be respectful of others or leave the app.
Also vent is an app for people struggling with their mental health. Don't invade their safe space with your negative stan twitter bs. Thanks
a depressed vent app local user
People argued that Vent was a "suicide prevention app" and therefore not somewhere for people to talk about fandoms.
don’t download vent and if you have it installed please uninstall immediately, this app is for suicide prevention
so anyways i'm gonna delete vent cause it's supposed to be a suicide prevention app and a place where you can vent about your feelings and i don't wanna use it for the wrong reasons and make it a stan twitter pt2 so yeah
And some of the new users have apparently been banned from Vent for their misuse of the app.
can someone check if i got banned from vent? i cant log in sksdjkaksadkj
Do you think I'm gonna get banned from vent
The migration of stans kind of became a meme on Twitter.
Venters when twitter stans started showing up on vent
Regular Vent users when they saw a tsunami of Twitter stans arriving on the app
However, others on the app have been welcoming to new users as long as they respect it as a safe space.
There's even a group devoted to Stan Twitter members to post without upsetting others.
One Vent user, who asked to be identified only as @Bonemeat, said they welcome Twitter stans to Vent, but the behaviour of the group has upset many other users.
"We have all really tried to welcome them but the respect we've shown them has been thrown back in our faces," they said. "All we ask is that they're respectful to us and adhere to the rules of vent. They refuse to, calling people f*gs [sic] and purposefully misgendering the trans users in the community (even when asked to stop). All they post about in their group is how pathetic we are and have actively sought out vulnerable users and spammed the comments of their posts with slurs and ridicule."
But people are already talking about the Vent hype being over.
y’all are gonna be over this vent app in 2 days fjejjf
Vent's CEO Dean Serroni told BuzzFeed that the app is an inclusive place, and users will only be removed if they use language which might be triggering to others.
"Vent is a place for people to express their feelings and support one another. We welcome users of all backgrounds on the condition that hey abide by our community guidelines and are respectful of the existing members of our community," Serroni said. "We have a Groups feature in our app that is a great way for micro communities to connect based on common topics and interests."