Among the differences between 2018 and much of human history is that people can send oblique messages via their social media accounts when the past would have required them to make their intentions known in a clear voice.
As a result, a public figure making major changes to their social media profile can lead to a lot of speculation about what it means. That was the case with Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones on Monday.
Jones made his Twitter account private and scrubbed his Instagram profile of pictures of him in Falcons gear, which led plenty of people to wonder if there was some connection between the latter move and his absence from the first week-plus of the team’s voluntary offseason program.
The Twitter account has returned and multiple reports say that Jones was just looking for a “fresh start” for his online profiles rather than sending a message about his desire to leave the Falcons. Jones also recently discussed the perils of putting too much stock in social media with Alabama players.
Jones hasn’t made any public comment about his change in social media strategy and if there’s a larger point beyond it all or not.