You open the app to check news. Two hours later, you've argued with strangers about something you didn't care about yesterday, your heart rate is elevated, and you feel worse about humanity.
This isn’t a bug. It’s Twitter working exactly as designed.
But the toxicity isn’t random—it follows personality patterns. Certain Enneagram types dominate the platform, and their psychological traits create the combative environment we all complain about while continuing to scroll.
Why Twitter Attracts Certain Types
The Platform’s Psychological Design
Twitter’s features create specific psychological pressures:
| Feature | Psychological Effect | Types Attracted |
|---|---|---|
| Character limit | Forces strong positions, removes nuance | 1, 8 |
| Public replies | Creates performance pressure | 3, 8 |
| Quote tweets | Enables public criticism/dunking | 1, 8 |
| Trending topics | Rewards controversy | 8, 7 |
| Follower counts | Visible status metrics | 3 |
| Real-time feed | Constant stimulation | 7, 6 |
| Anonymous accounts | Enables aggression | 8, 6 |
The Dominant Types
Type 8: The Platform’s Kings
Type 8s are Twitter royalty because the platform rewards their natural style:
Why Type 8s dominate:
- Direct, forceful communication fits the format
- Enjoy public confrontation
- Don’t back down when attacked
- Generate massive engagement through controversy
- Unbothered by criticism that would devastate other types
Type 8 Twitter behavior:
- Taking strong stances without hedging
- Responding aggressively to disagreement
- Building audiences through conflict
- “Ratioing” opponents (getting more likes than the original)
- Refusing to apologize or soften
The most viral tweets are often Type 8 energy—bold, confrontational, unapologetic.
Type 1: The Correctors
Type 1s can’t resist Twitter because there’s always something wrong to correct.
Why Type 1s dominate:
- The platform is full of wrongness to fix
- Short format allows for clear moral statements
- Can achieve momentary order through calling out errors
- Enjoy the righteousness of being correct
Type 1 Twitter behavior:
- Fact-checking and correcting misinformation
- Moral pronouncements on current events
- “Actually…” replies
- Building threads that systematically prove points
- Frustration when corrections aren’t accepted
The “well actually” reply guy is often a Type 1 unable to let wrongness stand.
Type 6: The Vigilant
Type 6s stay on Twitter because they need to monitor threats.
Why Type 6s dominate:
- The platform shows what’s going wrong in real-time
- Community formation provides security
- Can warn others about dangers
- Anxiety keeps them scrolling for the next threat
Type 6 Twitter behavior:
- Sharing warnings about people/things
- Building protective communities
- Alert to shifting loyalties
- Quick to identify “sus” behavior
- Documenting receipts for future reference
The “I’ve been saying this for months” timeline archaeologist is often a Type 6 who kept the receipts.
How Each Type Experiences Twitter
Types That Thrive
Type 8 (Challenger): Natural habitat. Gets energy from conflict. Builds large audiences through controversy. Rarely regrets tweets.
Type 3 (Achiever): Treats follower count as achievement. Carefully curates personal brand. Studies what performs and optimizes.
Type 7 (Enthusiast): Loves the constant novelty. Jumps from topic to topic. Gets bored and moves on before getting too invested in any fight.
Types That Struggle
Type 9 (Peacemaker): The constant conflict is exhausting. May lurk but rarely post. When they do post, it’s often too mild to gain traction.
Type 5 (Investigator): The noise-to-signal ratio is unbearable. Prefers long-form content. May have a small account for sharing research.
Type 4 (Individualist): Wants authenticity but the platform rewards performance. May build niche following but feel misunderstood by broader audience.
Types That Get Damaged
Type 2 (Helper): Gives too much emotional energy to strangers. Gets hurt when caring isn’t reciprocated. Takes negativity personally.
Type 6 (Loyalist): Can’t stop monitoring threats. Anxiety increases with platform use. But can’t stop because something might happen.
Type 1 (Perfectionist): The wrongness never ends. Every correction leads to more wrongness. Burns out from the impossibility of fixing everything.
The Toxicity Cycle
How Twitter Creates Conflict
Step 1: Algorithm rewards engagement Step 2: Conflict generates more engagement than harmony Step 3: Confrontational content gets boosted Step 4: Platform becomes dominated by confrontational types Step 5: Others adapt by becoming more confrontational Step 6: Cycle intensifies
The Psychology of Going Viral
What goes viral on Twitter:
- Strong positions (Type 8 directness)
- Moral clarity (Type 1 righteousness)
- Community threats (Type 6 warnings)
- Dunks and takedowns (Type 8 confrontation)
- Outrage (All combative types)
What doesn’t go viral:
- Nuanced takes (too long, too boring)
- Admissions of uncertainty (reads as weak)
- Peace-seeking posts (no engagement hook)
- Genuinely kind content (except occasionally for contrast)
The Performance Spiral
Because Twitter is public, users perform for audiences:
Type 8s perform strength and dominance Type 3s perform success and influence Type 1s perform moral superiority Type 6s perform community protection Type 4s perform uniqueness and depth Type 7s perform wit and novelty
The performance becomes more extreme as users compete for attention in an increasingly noisy environment.
Twitter Archetypes
The Reply Guy
Usually: Type 1 or Type 3 Behavior: Responds to popular accounts hoping for engagement/acknowledgment Psychology: Type 1 needs to correct or contribute; Type 3 needs association with successful accounts
The Quote Tweeter
Usually: Type 8 or Type 1 Behavior: Adds commentary to others’ tweets, often critical Psychology: Type 8 loves public confrontation; Type 1 can’t resist correcting
The Thread Creator
Usually: Type 1 or Type 5 Behavior: Creates long explanatory threads Psychology: Type 1 needs to comprehensively address wrongness; Type 5 enjoys sharing expertise
The Doomscroller
Usually: Type 6 Behavior: Can’t stop checking for new threats/news Psychology: Anxiety about missing something important; hypervigilance
The Ratio Seeker
Usually: Type 8 Behavior: Intentionally dunks on tweets to get more engagement than original Psychology: Public dominance display; proving superiority
The Subtweeter
Usually: Type 4 or Type 6 Behavior: Vague posts about specific people without naming them Psychology: Type 4 expresses feelings indirectly; Type 6 avoids direct confrontation while still warning
Why “Good Twitter” Doesn’t Last
Periodically, users try to create positive corners of Twitter. Why do they fail?
The algorithm doesn’t support them. Positive content generates less engagement.
Conflict invades. Someone from combative Twitter finds the peaceful space and brings their energy.
Users get corrupted. After enough exposure to confrontational content, non-confrontational types start adopting combative styles.
Attention scarcity. “Nice” accounts can’t compete for attention with controversy.
The architecture makes sustained positivity nearly impossible at scale.
The Elon Effect
How Ownership Change Affected Type Distribution
When Elon Musk (likely Type 5w6 or Type 8) bought Twitter:
Type 8s celebrated the “free speech” positioning Type 1s worried about reduced moderation Type 6s split between camps, loyalty tested Type 3s adapted to new success metrics Type 4s threatened to leave, often didn’t Type 9s continued trying to avoid the whole thing
The New Twitter/X Psychology
The platform has shifted toward:
- More explicit Type 8 dominance
- Reduced Type 1 content moderation
- Increased Type 6 tribalism
- Type 3 confusion about new success metrics
Whether this is better or worse depends on your type. For Type 8s, it’s more comfortable. For Type 1s, it’s less comfortable. For everyone, it’s more chaotic.
Healthier Twitter Use by Type
Type 1: Accept You Can’t Fix Everything
Strategy: Set limits on correction. Not every wrong tweet needs your input. Choose battles that actually matter.
Type 2: Stop Giving to Strangers
Strategy: Save emotional energy for people who know you. Internet strangers won’t reciprocate your care.
Type 3: Your Worth Isn’t Follower Count
Strategy: Use the platform for genuine expression, not just audience building. Numbers don’t make you valuable.
Type 4: Find Your Niche
Strategy: Stop trying to be understood by everyone. Find your people and ignore the rest.
Type 5: Limit Exposure
Strategy: You don’t need to know everything happening. Curate ruthlessly. Check less often.
Type 6: The Threats Aren’t That Threatening
Strategy: Most things you’re monitoring won’t actually affect your life. Reduce checking frequency.
Type 7: Depth Over Breadth
Strategy: Resist topic-jumping. Engaging deeply with fewer things is more satisfying than constantly skimming.
Type 8: Not Every Fight Is Worth Fighting
Strategy: Your energy is valuable. Save it for confrontations that matter.
Type 9: It’s Okay to Leave
Strategy: Your peace matters more than staying informed. The platform may simply not be for you.
FAQs
Why can’t I stop checking Twitter even though it makes me miserable?
Variable reward schedules (sometimes good content, sometimes bad) are addictive. For Type 6s, there’s also anxiety about missing threats. For Type 3s, there’s fear of missing opportunities. The platform is designed to be hard to quit.
Is Twitter getting worse or am I just noticing it more?
Both. The platform has genuinely changed (moderation, algorithm, user base), AND your tolerance for its psychological cost may have decreased. Burnout is real.
Can I use Twitter without getting sucked into the toxicity?
Possible but difficult. Requires ruthless curation, strict time limits, and likely muting/blocking liberally. Most people who try eventually either get sucked in or leave.
Why do some people seem to thrive on Twitter drama?
Usually Type 8s who genuinely enjoy conflict, or Type 3s who’ve figured out how to monetize the attention. For these types, what looks exhausting to you is energizing to them.
Should I delete my account?
Depends on your type and what you’re getting from it. If the psychological cost exceeds the benefit—information, community, professional necessity—then yes. If you’ve found a sustainable way to use it, no.
Disclaimer: This analysis of Twitter personality types is observational and speculative, not based on tested typing of specific accounts.