Twitter's Wild West image may have cost it a place in the Magic Kingdom.
The Walt Disney Company opted not to pursue a deal for the microblogging network partly due to concern that its reputation as a place for bullying and abusive behavior might sully the media giant's wholesome image, Bloomberg reported Monday. Disney was among a handful of prominent companies linked to talks of a possible takeover of the financially troubled company.
Twitter declined to comment on the report, while representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harassing and abusive tweets, while not a new occurrence on the social network, have received increased scrutiny in recent years. Robin Williams' death, in August 2014, led some Twitter users to send vicious messages to his daughter, prompting her to delete the app from her phone. In February 2015, writer Lindy West revealed that people had created a Twitter account in the name of her deceased father to make crude comments about her.
That reputation has proven to be a black eye of sorts for Twitter, which has struggled to expand its user base, even as it adds features such as livestreams of political debates and sports games. The social media company hasn't been able to keep up with the growth of the massive fan bases of competitors such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat creator Snap.
The social network has reportedly told potential buyers it wants to wrap up negotiations on a sale by October 27.