Twitter 2: Tweet harder

[JGP]

4 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

Elon has done a lot of good for humanity in such a short period of time, including his obviously intentional purge of Twitter’s less energetic employees.

lol

[cock_merchant]

6 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

cock_merchant -- and Babylon Bee, too! After 13.5 million plus votes, the God Emperor still leads with a slim majority, hahahah. God wills it!

Elon has done a lot of good for humanity in such a short period of time, including his obviously intentional purge of Twitter’s less energetic employees. More, he’s pissing off both the far left and right (but mostly the left, given its former dominance on the platform). I’m far right, but the world is better off if it’s anchored in the center.

A forum with this much gravity and global importance shouldn’t be candy land, but reality. Mastodon exists for the gentler side of humanity.

Agreed, if Libs are looking for a twitter alternative (they aren't), mastodon isn't it.

[Varysblackfyre321]

22 minutes ago, cock_merchant said:

Agreed, if Libs are looking for a twitter alternative (they aren't), mastodon isn't it.

Why do you think Katie Griffin, Andrew Tate, and Jorden Peterson we’re suspended/banned?

[Varysblackfyre321]

52 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

Elon has done a lot of good for humanity in such a short period of time, including his obviously intentional purge of Twitter’s less energetic employees.

Eh neutral at best.

52 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

More, he’s pissing off both the far left and right (but mostly the left, given its former dominance on the platform).

He’s pissed off the far right by sometimes occasionally enforcing the tos he has to have up to avoid legal trouble.

53 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

I’m far right, but the world is better off if it’s anchored in the center.

Oh come now you’re just being unserious here.

54 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

 

A forum with this much gravity and global importance shouldn’t be candy land, but reality.

Right, reality is the Holocaust happened. Should Twitter insure people don’t spread a fantasy of the Holocaust not happening?

[Jace, Extat]

There should be a science of discontent. People need hard times to develop psychic muscles.

Muad'Dib

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, JGP said:

What the sheesh. Z is figuring it out? :p 

To what are you referring? Complete mystery.  

[JGP]

3 minutes ago, Zorral said:

To what are you referring? Complete mystery.  

You poopoo on Twitter quite a bit. It's value to marginalized communities, around the world,  as a network and organizing tool cannot be overstated. When it goes, it's loss will be felt keenly by many. Thinking war crimes in Syria in particular here, or Bellingcat, etc.

Will it be replaced eventually, sure. But it's been a vital tool. 

Damn shame. 

[Werthead]

I think the idea that Twitter will collapse and vanish altogether is somewhat unlikely. It's entirely possible that Musk will take it offline for several weeks/months and relaunch it later on with much fanfare with a new coterie of employees in place and avoid the everyday drama that we see now.

It's also worth noting some far-right talking points about Twitter ever since Musk announced his first takeover bid. They outlined months ago almost what we're seeing now, a disruptive, chaotic transfer and an "exodus of the blue checks" (which is happening), most of them left and centrist-leaning, and a corresponding flight of minorities from the resulting avalanche of unmoderated abuse, leaving behind a site that effectively becomes a talking shop for the far right, extremists and purveyors of crypto and porn (an 8chan for the masses, if you will), but because of the presence of high-profile figures (such as Trump, if he returns) the media has to continue talking about it and thus legitimising it.

There's a lot wrong with that plan, including the possibility of an interregnum where the site collapses, during which a successor may arise (but it would need to be much more accessible and easy to use than Mastodon) which outshines Zombie Twitter quickly, and the somewhat likelier possibility that Musk becomes immersed in full-throttled legal challenges and assaults for the site violating various laws around the world. But the chances of the site completely vanishing in the short term seem improbable.

[Jace, Extat]

What did Twitter do to overthrow Assad? What did it do to increase the physical, tangible, lives of these disabled users? 

There was communicative gain from Twitter. Undeniable. Same for TikTok, Insta, BlahBla, WhoGiv_Fuk, SkoolSoot, Incelgram, and Masturbatordon. But, uh, playa. The phone or computer whomever, wherever, used to access the features of the app was far more epowering a device than an explicitly user-attention-exploiting system of data transfers. 

Twitter's mission goal was always to make users think they could not live without it. THAT WAS THE PROBLEM 

With love. 

[JGP]

8 minutes ago, Fire and Jace said:

What did Twitter do to overthrow Assad?

I anticipated this response, but was expecting it from Wade lol 

Nothing tangible, except get the news out into the world. Enough? Nope, not yet anyway, but still vitally important in my view.  

 

8 minutes ago, Fire and Jace said:

With love. 

Of course, and likewise.

[Raja]

I think you've just not been paying attention if you think it hasn't had tangible benefits to plenty of people

There are lots of examples, but I'm not too surprised that people who don't use the platform are unaware of them.

I think twitter is great, but I don't think it is the *only* site that can do what I think it does best ( it is at the moment though)- I'm sure at some point something similar will come along. Well, hopefully it does anyway.

[polishgenius]

I've mentioned a mate of mine before, Buryat fella from Russia, trying to get the funds together for immigration to the US. He's managed to raise what he needs for the legal process, now he's trying to gather what he needs to actually move.

There is no way that happens without twitter- possibly he may have left Russia, but he wouldn't have known the people he knows helping him with the process on the US end, he wouldn't have the income our site gave him to support himself for a bit, he wouldn't have had the audience to crowdfund. If twitter goes tits up, most of our current outreach goes tits up too, so his chances go down hard. 

That's a very concrete and specific example, quite extreme in its specifics, but positive uses of twitter range from similar stories to that to the wider example of our site and its community existing in the first place coz we gathered, firstly, on twitter, and while we've not managed to get sustainable as a business yet as a whole, there are plenty of people- authors, small businesses, etc- for whom it's a major outreach and marketing tool for projects that'd never get off the ground relying on traditional marketing.

And more broadly as people have mentioned it's just a good tool for people who may feel isolated or oppressed in one way or another to find support, advice, or like-minded people. 



None of that is irreplacable, and most of it is probably replicable without, or with less of, the downsides of twitter- the ease of dogpiling, the manic and addictive nature of the timeline, things like that- but it's not currently replaced, and that means if it goes down, lots of people are gonna take a hit. They just are. 

 

[JGP]

Well said, PG.

In my case, I participate in Settler Saturdays. I've donated well over 10k since I started, to Indigenous in need for whatever reason-- dental work, bills, etc. I've made friends amongst that community, and I've learned a lot.

Do big Indigenous accounts boost smaller ones in hardship elsewhere? Probably, but I wouldn't have seen it.

 

[Jace, Extat]

51 minutes ago, JGP said:

I anticipated this response, but was expecting it from Wade lol 

 

Politics is a flat circle... or something. I never saw Dallas Buyers Club.

49 minutes ago, Raja said:

I think you've just not been paying attention if you think it hasn't had tangible benefits to plenty of people

There are lots of examples, but I'm not too surprised that people who don't use the platform are unaware of them.

I think twitter is great, but I don't think it is the *only* site that can do what I think it does best ( it is at the moment though)- I'm sure at some point something similar will come along. Well, hopefully it does anyway.

 

49 minutes ago, Raja said:

I think you've just not been paying attention if you think it hasn't had tangible benefits to plenty of people

There are lots of examples, but I'm not too surprised that people who don't use the platform are unaware of them.

I think twitter is great, but I don't think it is the *only* site that can do what I think it does best ( it is at the moment though)- I'm sure at some point something similar will come along. Well, hopefully it does anyway.

 

51 minutes ago, JGP said:

 

Nothing tangible, except get the news out into the world. Enough? Nope, not yet anyway, but still vitally important in my view.  

 

Of course, and likewise.

So I have become something of a reactionary realist (I know, I also wanted me to be a radical but that flat circle thingy...) I lack the prerequisite dependency language with which to envision a future of these "social media" (call it Social Subversion and you will be more accurate) that does not include coercive mass delusion and societal fragmentation for the sake of profit. 

Although my chief complaint against these mass social subversion services is and always has been that it conditions the users to view intangible expressions as physical gain. (Dopamine) 

What an insidiousness. It has even captured so many of you.

Changing your profile pic blue and yellow does nothing to help Ukraine. Bombs, guns, trucks, dollars, and friendly homes for the destitute helps the Ukrainian people. "Raising awareness" is great and can be done with literally any form of communication. 

(HYPOTHETICALLY!!!) You people (all of you, like all of America except for me and twelve neocons apparently) could have located and murdered... that fella you're all so steamed about... 

Couldda just found out where he is. Gotten ten or fifteen million of yas together (that fancy-smancy media tool could help!) and just solved that problem. Didn't

Couldda done that to the man you fuckholes(with love!) treat like goddamn Voldemort. Didn't

Or McConnell when he actioned a premeditated and fucking obvious plan to steal away individual liberties regarding treatment of ones own physical flesh. Didn't

When your government was violently attacked, civil servants MURDERED ON LIVE TELEVISION and everybody knew something must be done y'all could have called for every goodly American with means to rendezvous at the capitol building (peacefully) to see the treachers hanged. Didn't

Didn't

Didn't

Didn't 

Didn't

Didn't 

All the crises. All the Rubicons.

Did Twitter help with any of them? 

Oh, wait, there were those like two Womens Marches where the Democratic party and associated "Action Committees", "Charities", and "Activist Groups" gathered anyone with a big enough heart and small enough attention span to let even more of their miserly pay be siphoned away by an interest group that has no goddamn interest in the people from whom they siphon. 

 

At some point it must be realized that this platform and others like it dilutes agency among the many. Because of course it does. Why act when you can opine?

 

Eta: dopamine is spelled with an A. I blame the Russians!

 

Eta2: All traditionally has two Ls

[JGP]

You're not wrong, Jace, but that's only part of it. 

 

You remind me of willow, sometimes. 

 

whatsitgoingtotake_activistthrowsmolotov.gif

[JGP]

Hahaha

[Jace, Extat]

46 minutes ago, JGP said:

You're not wrong, Jace, but that's only part of it. 

 

You remind me of willow, sometimes. 

 

whatsitgoingtotake_activistthrowsmolotov.gif

I'll take it, thanks. I don't fail to see that Twitter has its perks. Smoking crack will help you lose weight real fucking fast! I just refuse to be blinded to the horrible realities that come with the highs. 

Perhaps it's egotistical but I really feel like there should be at least one person in every room who can say 'motherfucker you are smoking crack!!!"

I will be that person here, in this moment. 

Because I am, like, the MoST STAble JEanish am blathagammmmm......

 

PS: My sister and I used to have to cut our own switches from the willow tree out front. Obviously I had to do this far less frequently. Because I was the good one. And by 'good' I mean smart. I was the smart one. Because 'good' is interpreted by way of conformity to existing power structures with only flavorful, ultimately insubstantial (one might say decorative or even virtual), incongruities that do not strain to upset the party. And baby I bring the flavor to every party.

Molotovs are so last millenium. 

Reactive Armor< Half-a-dozen deliberately timed baggies of thermite from the roofs = Be a real hero

[Wade1865]

1 hour ago, JGP said:

I anticipated this response, but was expecting it from Wade lol 

Nothing tangible, except get the news out into the world. Enough? Nope, not yet anyway, but still vitally important in my view.

JGP -- hahaha, nah; Twitter goes well beyond being a mere source of news. For example, communication facilitates awareness, which leads to assistance, that results in progress towards resolution; e.g., @polishgenius's friend. Beyond the domain of information, many other examples can be found in economics, politics, and warfare.

As I said, there's gravity in the platform, as many people in this thread acknowledged. More, the hysterical reaction from some people (amusingly, while on Twitter) demonstrates just how valuable it is. We're seeing an active contest (that is, an ideological conflict) play out in real time, one in which the far left has just been decisively moderated. Elon's intended end-state isn't one dominated by the far right, though; it's something more balanced.

Twitter's unique (to my knowledge) utility as an accessible locus for players (entrepreneurs, politicians, intellectuals, influencers, et al.) and pieces (followers, consumers, observers, students, et al.) to interact directly and exchange resources indirectly. Although I wouldn't doubt some resources can and have been exchanged directly, this will become more concrete once Elon introduces an integrated payment system as well as a means to provide financial benefits to content producers.

It would be a shame if the far left yielded the platform 

[JGP]

5 minutes ago, Fire and Jace said:

I'll take it, thanks. I don't fail to see that Twitter has its perks. Smoking crack will help you lose weight real fucking fast! I just refuse to be blinded to the horrible realities that come with the highs. 

Perhaps it's egotistical but I really feel like there should be at least one person in every room who can say 'motherfucker you are smoking crack!!!"

I will be that person here, in this moment. 

Because I am, like, the MoST STAble JEanish am blathagammmmm......

 

PS: My sister and I used to have to cut our own switches from the willow tree out front. Obviously I had to do this far less frequently. Because I was the good one. And by 'good' I mean smart. I was the smart one. Because 'good' is interpreted by way of conformity to existing power structures with only flavorful, ultimately insubstantial (one might say decorative or even virtual), incongruities that do not strain to upset the party. And baby I bring the flavor to every party.

Molotovs are so last millenium. 

Reactive Armor< Half-a-dozen deliberately timed baggies of thermite from the roofs = Be a real hero

 

I salute you. 

My younger brother and I had to cut our own switches once or twice ourselves. 

[Tyrosh Lannister]

Orange man's account is going to be reinstated. Maximum Drama incoming