The argument that it was no different before Musk and that it was the equivalent, just left biased. It's a false equivalence that ignores the very deliberate steps that Musk has taken to influence the user base. If there was a left bias before it was an organic reflection of the user base at the time. The current bias is due to the actions and active manipulations of the owner.
Other than posting on here I don’t have any other social media accounts. No Facebook or Twitter. I look on YouTube and I subscribe to a few things I’m interested in, normally political debate/discourse channels and Disgruntled Danny who is funny at times. Other than that, not at all. I like living in blissful ignorance. To be honest if I didn’t have to have a mobile phone for work, I’d happily go without that as well. It’s rare I take it out with me when not on duty.
It's certainly true that Musk is attempting to influence things on the platform but what might be described as views which are the opposite of Musk's are still prevalent. If I go on to the 'For You' tab, I still see the same different sets of views that I've always done with the slight exception that I now see more of Elon's own tweets. If someone is expecting to see only their own views reflected back at them, then I'm sure seeing something different is a shock. But this just goes back to the fundamental problem with social media, that people just use it to have their own views confirmed to them, leading them further and further away from being able to understand different views. What Musk is doing is an exploitative but natural progression of where this has all been leading. Even then, I don't think he's being that successful because I can still see plenty of the stuff I used to.
Yes and no. The For You tab is definitely serving up more r/w perspectives than it used to - at least in my experience. It's much closer to the unchained algo that Elon wants it to be rather than the one shaped by user preference. Combine that with the bot and blue tick attack phenomenon, where the responses of loyal (or digital) footsoldiers are strongly boosted. This leads to anyone who expresses a particular viewpoint to be exposed to incredibly toxic reply bombing that goes way beyond what went before. That's before we discuss the unchecked misinformation, racism, sexism, antisemitism and homophobia that is present on there these days. It's a fundamentally different phenomenon IMO. It was always a possibility that things could go this way I guess. But perhaps that's where removal of attention, of engagement and of ad revenue is the only check and balance that can be applied.
But that’s social media and it works both ways. It’s only now that the right have more of a presence because of Musk that it’s became a problem. It’s social media, anyone can post what they want whether it’s true or not i’m not sure fact checking every tweet is even a discussion. Everyone has a mind of their own and will interpret things differently whilst believing whatever they want to especially when it comes to politics. Such and such from Birmingham with a Palestine flag in their Bio could post whatever Anti-Semitic, Anti-British, homophobic nonsense they please and it wouldn’t be an issue to those on the same page. They’d champion it, they walk British streets waving the flags of a nation that are all of those things. If Bald Bob from 3 doors down with a Union Jack in his bio posts something derogatory about Palestine there’s a left wing **** storm and the UK becomes the most racist place on earth.
when tw@tter first popped it's ugly head up i decided it was simply a 'look how popular i am' platform and that people would say/do whatever they could to increase followers, i think i was correct. the only such media i use is facebook although that really is no better but it is my main way of keeping in touch with far flung family members...and occasionally i do post rubbish just because i am bored. also, when you have people like katie price selling videos of themselves in the shower (this was mentioned in her bankruptcy case) i have to wonder just how low people are willing to go just for money.
Not sure that tracks as a 'both ways' argument - particularly given people have been getting put in clink for what they post. Could be said that Twitter's previous moderation policies were successful at saving people from themselves.
It wasn't the far right, or far left comments that made me leave X. It's the non-stop relentless adverts, high percentage of bot accounts and awful algorithms pushing accounts that I have absolutely no interest in. It's literally unusable since that f*ckwit bought the platform.
Me too tbh. But they’re all symptoms of the same thing, Musk’s desire to ideologically drive the user base. Ham fisted, malign actions that make it impossible to continue using the app while choosing to disengage from the bits that are distasteful. If he hadn’t allowed outright racism to thrive (not challenging perspectives, but actionable racist abuse) and hadn’t misunderstood the revenue streams and driven away vital advertisers. If he hadn’t attempted to compensate by creating a tiered user base and adding lower grade advertising and outright porn. If he hadn’t tried to hide his failure by unleashing a bot avalanche to give the impression of traffic. If, if, if. It all leads to the same space - an app that is largely unusable compared to what it previously was.
It has devolved into tit-for-tat, "you hurt me before but now I'm wielding the hammer", I think we're in an unprecedented time and there are no signs of it stopping.
Only use it an hour before kick off to get the team news would be happier if the club reverted to putting the team on safc.com and then wouldn't go on X at all
I'll stay where I am on X until I feel I need to move. Find it insane people are saying X is done, finished and everyone needs to move, but literally pay X to post. Grow a set and move, close X account or shut up.
