(3) they already downsized their their trust and safety ops that the platform is already in precipitous decline (I've been following a Canadian business account stolen by Macedonian hackers and have "reported" the account with no response since August). The news is just an admission of failure.

I deactivated my Xitter account too. I held off following there since I hoped we'd all find better alternatives. Really glad you're exploring something new! Have you looked into Mastodon?