Twitter and The Musk & Facebook and The Zuck

[Edward64]

I'm just an occasional user of Threads (and X). But don't understand the rationale here, sees like a mistake to have all these words blocked. I'm going to guess there'll be significant blowback and Meta will compromise some, but interesting to see how this plays out.

MSN (https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/threads-blocks-searches-related-to-covid-and-vaccines-as-cases-rise/ar-AA1gz9n7)
Meta acknowledged in a statement to The Washington Post that Threads is intentionally blocking the search terms and said that other terms are being blocked, but the company declined to provide a list of them. A search by The Post discovered that the words “sex,” “nude,” “gore,” “porn,” “coronavirus,” “vaccines” and “vaccination” are also among blocked words.

“The search functionality temporarily doesn’t provide results for keywords that may show potentially sensitive content,” the statement said, adding that the company will add search functionality for terms only “once we are confident in the quality of the results.”

Lucky Tran, director of science communication at Columbia University, discovered this himself when he attempted to use Threads to seek out research related to covid, something he says he does every day. “I was excited by search [on Threads],” he said. “When I typed in covid, I came up with no search results.”

[GrantDawg]

Threads had a chance to grab some of the post-twitter real estate. After getting out quickly, all they have done is shoot themselves in the foot.

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[Ghost Econ]

I for one have my checkbook ready to pay for Twitter.

Elon Musk says Twitter, now X, is to charge all users subscription fees | X (formerly known as Twitter) | The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/19/elon-musk-twitter-x-subscription-fees-users-posts)

[Lathum]

That has to be the death knell, no?

[Mota]

I'm enjoying BlueSky a lot more than Twitter now. My timeline was flooded with weird right wing nuttiness, and BlueSky is just nice and fun. Thanks to GrandDawg for the invite and the Wheel of Time chat. :)

[sovereignstar v2]

Threads had a chance to grab some of the post-twitter real estate. After getting out quickly, all they have done is shoot themselves in the foot.

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Did you still have that Bluesky invite? :)

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'd miss Twitter for its use in aggregating HS football scores on Friday nights.

Other than that, ehhhhhh

[GrantDawg]

I have one. I will get it to you when I get home.

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[Ghost Econ]

I'd miss Twitter for its use in aggregating HS football scores on Friday nights.

Other than that, ehhhhhh

My local news stations all have constantly updating scoreboard on their website. Are they not as thorough in GS?

[GrantDawg]

My local news stations all have constantly updating scoreboard on their website. Are they not as thorough in GS?
My experience, there is a pretty big lag in some scores back when I kept up with high-school ball. Especially from the more rural schools. I imagine if you follow the right people you can get live updates faster.

[GrantDawg]

I'm enjoying BlueSky a lot more than Twitter now. My timeline was flooded with weird right wing nuttiness, and BlueSky is just nice and fun. Thanks to GrandDawg for the invite and the Wheel of Time chat. :)
You're welcome! Sorry for my weirdness there. I like it, but I do need to figure out how to get into more subjects on there. I am good with the Wheel of Time stream (obviously), but other than that I follow a couple of lawyers that talk about court stuff and I have followed few sports people. None of the sports people are active on there though. The way the feed is set where it shows you every bodies comments as well as posts makes me wary to go too broad on follows. If you follow a bunch of people with a bunch of crazy interests, the timeline can get cluttered. As it was I had to unfollow one person that had followed on twitter. She was a WOT and gamer fan on twitter, but she was thirst-trapping on Bluesky. Too many nude/mostly nude posts and comments on nude/mostly nude posts that first of all would get me in trouble from my wife. Secondly, not something I really wanted to see.

[RainMaker]

I mostly just use it to find information on something happening in a game. Saw Chubb got hurt and went on Twitter to look up info last night. Plenty of views of the injury with reporters giving updates. That's probably its most valuable function.

[thesloppy]

I mostly just use it to find information on something happening in a game. Saw Chubb got hurt and went on Twitter to look up info last night. Plenty of views of the injury with reporters giving updates. That's probably its most valuable function.

That's exactly how I used to use Twitter...but I used to be able to do that effectively without an account/signup, and one of the recent updates seemingly put a stop to that for unregistered users, and I'll be damned if I'm going to register for Twitter NOW

[JonInMiddleGA]

My local news stations all have constantly updating scoreboard on their website. Are they not as thorough in GS?

I don't think any of the TV stations here do that, plus with close to 200 games statewide every Friday it gets a little ... hectic

There's a site that does little else but scoreboard (ScoreATL), there's ScoreStream, tho both of those are prone to error and often lag 1-3 hours behind real time. There's several newspapers that do their area in fairly real time, there's several more web-entities covering HS sports in a geographic area that do that as well (largely aggregating). And a fair number of teams tweet updates in real-time or at least every quarter.

Over the years I've managed to cobble together a pretty good list of accounts that are both reliable and timely.

Of the two regions I follow most closely (my alma mater and Will's alma mater) there are 14-16 teams. At any given moment on a Friday night, I can tell you the score within a half hour of real time for nearly all of them. As well as the next opponent for the alma mater, most of their past opponents, and half or more of the teams in the region that would be their first round playoff matchup.

[Ksyrup]

I created my Bluesky account a few weeks ago, but between issues with my dad's health and an Alaska cruise - plus the commitment needed to try to find accounts to follow that mimic what I have on Twitter right now - I've only logged in once.

[Flasch186]

Anyone want to share an invite?


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[Mota]

Anyone want to share an invite?


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I'll send you one right now.

[GrantDawg]

I got another if someone needs one. Call it in here since my DM alerts don't go off for some reason.

[cuervo72]

Seems more and more that some people I follow are only showing up in the "For You" side and not the "Following" side.

[RainMaker]

There's been some dumb moves but removing the headline and description from links posted is up there pretty high.

[GrantDawg]

He is removing the "like" and "repost" buttons.

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[Ksyrup]

What's the reason? Moving them to premium?

[GrantDawg]

He says it makes reading post hard, so they are being removed. You can still like and repost by using "gestures", and the only way to see the like and repost numbers will be opening the post. The only thing that will still be visible is view numbers.

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[Bobble]

You can still like and repost by using "gestures",

I've got a gesture for him...

[Ksyrup]

Judging by the percentage of ads in my Twitter timeline, if Cheech and Chong's CBD chews business goes bankrupt, Twitter will cease to exist in about 2 days.

[QuikSand]

Seems more and more that some people I follow are only showing up in the "For You" side and not the "Following" side.

similar problems

it just feels like every change they are making is to frustrate and annoy users exactly like me

[Ksyrup]

One of my gripes with Twitter from the start has always been the constantly changing flow of the timeline when it's overloaded. Meaning, unlike a messageboard where it's easy to track down topics, if I miss a post or 10 by someone I follow, I miss them. I don't even know they happened. It's just kind of a "drink from the fire hose" experience when you are on the platform and what goes on when I'm off of it is an unknown.

So how do you know you're missing anything? There are very few times I track down a particular poster to see what they have tweeted. I either see it, or I don't and it never happened. Particularly now, with so many people leaving Twitter or drastically cutting back on posting, that would be my first thought as to why I don't see a particular poster's tweets.

[GrantDawg]

Misplaced

[GrantDawg]

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">X (Twitter) is going to start charging NEW users $1 a year in order tweet, retweet, like tweets, etc. <a href="https://t.co/8InV4Ojgy9">https://t.co/8InV4Ojgy9</a></p>&mdash; Yashar Ali �� (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1714433658336231625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[Mota]

Twitter isn't worth $1, sorry.

Although I'm also on Bluesky and Threads, and they are still pretty barren compared to Twitter.

[GrantDawg]

Got 4 Bluesky invites.

[thesloppy]

Can any of these other sites provide me with almost-real-time sports highlights? That's really all I use Twitter for these days.

[Ksyrup]

I have struggled with getting started on Bluesky. Trying to build a timeline that comes close to matching my Twitter timeline is tough. One, there's not enough people and two, I lack the motivation to spend the time necessary to try to find the right people to add. Twitter is fully baked. That's the dilemma.

[Ksyrup]

Can any of these other sites provide me with almost-real-time sports highlights? That's really all I use Twitter for these days.

Agreed. That gets to part of the challenge with building the type of timeline I've already got with Twitter. And sports, frankly, is the least affected of the subgroups of people who are motivated to leave Twitter for political or altruistic reasons. It's just about sports.

[GrantDawg]

Can any of these other sites provide me with almost-real-time sports highlights? That's really all I use Twitter for these days.
Threads would probably be the best bet right now. There are more reporters and organizations available on there since it is linked to Instagram. Bluesky is still invite only. Not many major sports reporters, and doesn't have embedded video yet.

[GrantDawg]

I have struggled with getting started on Bluesky. Trying to build a timeline that comes close to matching my Twitter timeline is tough. One, there's not enough people and two, I lack the motivation to spend the time necessary to try to find the right people to add. Twitter is fully baked. That's the dilemma.
Best advice is get into a feed on a subject you are interested in. That should expose you to people to follow on your interest.

[albionmoonlight]

I think that it is evolving, but my sense is that Threads is becoming the place that is getting more sports/entertainment/news stuff going on. It isn't close to Twitter in its heyday, but this weekend, there were enough active NFL writers that it kept me engaged.

Bluesky, by virtue of being invite-only, still seems to be a bit more for the "Look at MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" social media crowd.

[Ksyrup]

Well until Twitter collapses and I feel like all other options are completely unsatisfactory, I will not be joining Threads. I have absolutely no interest in joining TikTok in order to get access and I quit FB 2 years ago so why would I go back to the same people who ruined a decent thing?

For now, my experience on Twitter has not changed all that much - especially the sports content. And I have a hard time taking some sort of moral stand by leaving Twitter because of Musk just to end up with Zuckerberg at Threads.

[GrantDawg]

I think that it is evolving, but my sense is that Threads is becoming the place that is getting more sports/entertainment/news stuff going on. It isn't close to Twitter in its heyday, but this weekend, there were enough active NFL writers that it kept me engaged.

Bluesky, by virtue of being invite-only, still seems to be a bit more for the "Look at MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" social media crowd.
I haven't found Bluesky to be that at all, but I imagine it is all in who you follow. I'm just following Wheel of Time people and a couple of legal experts. Those are the only posts I see. but I am not following a general feed.

[CrimsonFox]

Musk offers to buy wikipedia for dumb reason (https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4270360-elon-musk-offers-1m-to-wikipedia-if-theyll-change-their-name/?fbclid=IwAR2AOlNU0WW1TpZYuvS0BcdkofaqegUjyLv8ThWSl4l-Mhx8oytKqnbsEBI)

[Mota]

Based on how things went with Twitter, I don't think any company should want to sell to Musk.

[flere-imsaho]

Why not? If you sell a company to Musk, you're going to get paid as part of the transaction. Now, if you're dumb enough to retain a stake in the company (as Jack Dorsey has done, apparently), that's a different story.

It's exactly the same as Trump (or, indeed, the vast majority of leveraged buyouts). Sure, the company will likely be run into backruptcy, but what do you care if the check (which has likely come from the lender, not the buyer) clears the bank at close?

[GrantDawg]

Why not? If you sell a company to Musk, you're going to get paid as part of the transaction. Now, if you're dumb enough to retain a stake in the company (as Jack Dorsey has done, apparently), that's a different story.

It's exactly the same as Trump (or, indeed, the vast majority of leveraged buyouts). Sure, the company will likely be run into backruptcy, but what do you care if the check (which has likely come from the lender, not the buyer) clears the bank at close?
If you are publicly traded, you might actually be forced to. You have a fiduciary responsibility to stockholders to get the best return on their investment. That is basically what happened to Twitter. He made such a stupid bid they couldn't legally turn it down.
Wiki on the other hand is a non-profit and has zero legal obligation to sell to anybody. Heck, can you even buy a non-profit? Wouldn't it be a transaction like "I will donate this amount of money if you give me control of the board" or some such?

[Mota]

Why not? If you sell a company to Musk, you're going to get paid as part of the transaction. Now, if you're dumb enough to retain a stake in the company (as Jack Dorsey has done, apparently), that's a different story.

It's exactly the same as Trump (or, indeed, the vast majority of leveraged buyouts). Sure, the company will likely be run into backruptcy, but what do you care if the check (which has likely come from the lender, not the buyer) clears the bank at close?

Well I'm mostly thinking about the 1-2 years of lawsuits and back and forth that happened, after Elon grandstanded about buying the company, waffled back and forth, etc. And then proceeded to destroy the company almost immediately. I wouldn't want to put in years of my life, take a huge payout, and then see my life's work destroyed almost immediately. I guess the money can pay for the therapy sessions.

[albionmoonlight]

I'm finding myself settling on Threads.

I go to X occasionally to find an individual poster sometimes who is only over there.

But my default is Threads now.

X is just annoying to browse now.

[Ksyrup]

I've found myself gravitating to Reddit, which I've known about for years, of course, but never joined. Regardless of the Twitter clone I try to use, there's just just too much heavy lifting involved to try to replicate my Twitter timeline. Either not enough familiar people are there (particularly sports content), or I can't find them. And trying to search topics/individuals is next to impossible and a crapshoot. I don't jump on one of those apps to go to work, I simply want to read my timeline and it's just not there. The first one of these that can somehow import/match users from Twitter to its users (or even "if you followed Z person on Twitter, you may like..." functionality) may get some traction.

For now, it's like building the Lego Taj Mahal and having someone steal it, disassemble it, remove half the pieces, and make me put it back together somewhere else. Mentally, I am not up for that challenge.

Reddit scratches two of my itches - I prefer a messageboard-like experience and they have pretty deep groups for a wide-range of topics I want to read about and engage with. While I enjoy Twitter, I have never liked the "rushing river" feel of how the timeline works in a lot of respects. For in-the-moment news/sports discussions, it's great. For regular topics and discussions, it sucks. Having to find a new Twitter-like place to go made me realize how much of a waste a lot of Twitter is for me.

[albionmoonlight]

He apparently now claims that people who died of COVID on ventilators actually died from the ventilators and not the virus.

I cannot believe that this guy still gets US military contracts.

[GrantDawg]

Why does 99% of people that enter hospice care die in the first year? Why is hospice care killing all these people? I'm just asking questions. I am very smart.

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[albionmoonlight]

He's only in his early 50s.

I just can't imagine a world where he'll be showing his ass like this for another 3-4 decades. But that seems to be what we are in for.

[albionmoonlight]

dola: I get that this is mostly a me problem.

That guy lives in my head rent-free.

I find him and his acolytes horrifically fascinating.

[Ksyrup]

It's the Joe Rogan/Rand Paul "Look how smart I am because I question everything and go against the grain/norms" BS. They've taken what is otherwise an important idea - think for yourself - and combined it with this "the worldview is liberal and therefore always wrong" mindset, and turned into a contrarian philosophy that rubs elbows with conspiracy theories, anti-government sentiment, and fallacies/lies that speaks to a not insignificant percentage of the population who want to feel smart (or prove it to the public on social media) because they go against the general consensus on a lot of topics.

It started with climate change 25 or so years ago and then when Covid came around, it spread to vaccinations, and rigged elections, etc. And of course, once you tie something like this into a political movement, it just explodes.

[Atocep]

Why does 99% of people that enter hospice care die in the first year? Why is hospice care killing all these people? I'm just asking questions. I am very smart.

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This guy is supposedly brilliant and has infinite resources but always tries to pass off shit like this as him just asking questions. Yet the answer to the questions he "asks" could be answered in 2 minutes with basic common sense or internet skills.

I think it was last week he was "asking" why wikipedia is always asking for donations and where that money goes.

[Ksyrup]

Zuckerberg tore his ACL training for an MMA fight. I think the only reasonable thing to do is for a hobbled Zuckerberg to fight a similarly hobbled Elon. Not only would it be a fair fight, but it probably increases the chances of a significant injury to one or both of them.

[CrimsonFox]

Did Zuck and Elon ever buy wives for themselves?

[JPhillips]

Elon is a racist and and anti-semite.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Elon Musk pushing unvarnished anti semitism at a time of rising antisemitism and violence against Jews <a href="https://t.co/N5bSQxWsr9">pic.twitter.com/N5bSQxWsr9</a></p>&mdash; Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1724922127206273338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[RainMaker]

That's some Goebbels stuff there. Congrats to the advertisers who stayed.

[flere-imsaho]

I wonder if the Universe one day, in a fit of karmic retribution, will have one of his self-driving Teslas run him over while he's crossing the street. And then it'll blow up.

[RainMaker]

It seems like an exodus is taking place. Not sure how they keep that place afloat much longer.



https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/17/apple-has-paused-advertising-on-x-after-musk-promoted-antisemitic-tweet.html

[Atocep]

It seems like an exodus is taking place. Not sure how they keep that place afloat much longer.



https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/17/apple-has-paused-advertising-on-x-after-musk-promoted-antisemitic-tweet.html

Well they're reportedly down to 1 major advertiser and Musk told those that left "to go fuck themselves" at an event yesterday where Bob Iger was speaking.

It seems like we're in the last days of Twitter. They even acknowledged today that they can't won't be able to continue for long unless advertisers return.

[flere-imsaho]

He's the richest person in the world. And a business genius. I'm sure they'll be fine.

[albionmoonlight]

https://www.threads.net/@newsbreakinglive/post/C0RPAByrLrT

I cannot think of anyone (with the possible exception of Trump) who cares more about whether he is liked than Elon.

[Ksyrup]

Interesting article about everyone's favorite Boy Wonder.

Elon Musk's Problems at Twitter, Tesla Prove His Luck Has Run Out (https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-problems-twitter-x-tesla-gamble-luck-run-out-2023-12)

[Atocep]

Did anyone else that Musk did a twitter live with Alex Jones and Ramaswamy to celebrate Alex Jones getting his twitter account reinstated?

Oh and Ramaswamy didn't mute his phone while he took a piss, but that's another story.

[BYU 14]

Did anyone else that Musk did a twitter live with Alex Jones and Ramaswamy to celebrate Alex Jones getting his twitter account reinstated?

Oh and Ramaswamy didn't mute his phone while he took a piss, but that's another story.

Not enough Rubber Noses for the Clowns on that call.

[whomario]

Last Week Tonight - Elon Musk (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo3zORUGCbM)

[Atocep]

Japanese disaster prevention X account can’t post anymore after hitting API limit - Dexerto (https://www.dexerto.com/tech/japanese-disaster-prevention-x-account-cant-post-anymore-after-hitting-api-limit-2451266/)

According to Unseen Japan, NERV is under X’s “Basic” API plan, where it can post 100 posts in 24 hours. This costs around $100, while the next step up requires users to pay around $5000 a month for usage of its API. Due to NERV running at a loss, the company has chosen not to subscribe to the higher tier.

[Ghost Econ]

Can someone send me a flow chart for the hierarchy of hate that MAGA/Q ascribe to? There's something about Orthodox Jewish tunnels trending and the anti-Semitism is flowing on Twitter. But they also cheer Israel in murdering innocent Palestinians.

At this point I have it as Women > Jews > Hispanics >= Blacks > Liberals > Muslims but I feel like I'm missing some.

[GrantDawg]

Can someone send me a flow chart for the hierarchy of hate that MAGA/Q ascribe to? There's something about Orthodox Jewish tunnels trending and the anti-Semitism is flowing on Twitter. But they also cheer Israel in murdering innocent Palestinians.

At this point I have it as Women > Jews > Hispanics >= Blacks > Liberals > Muslims but I feel like I'm missing some.
Always hate the other. If the other is killing other other, then that is good.

[Ksyrup]

Can someone send me a flow chart for the hierarchy of hate that MAGA/Q ascribe to? There's something about Orthodox Jewish tunnels trending and the anti-Semitism is flowing on Twitter. But they also cheer Israel in murdering innocent Palestinians.

At this point I have it as Women > Jews > Hispanics >= Blacks > Liberals > Muslims but I feel like I'm missing some.

Your question ascribes some semblance of logic that all evidence indicates is lacking from the subject matter.

[cuervo72]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Elon is now engaging in &quot;race science&quot; and agrees with a post saying black people have low IQs and having them as pilots will cause plane crashes. This is some of the most racist white supremacist shit I've ever seen. <a href="https://t.co/cz9mAcsM9L">pic.twitter.com/cz9mAcsM9L</a></p>&mdash; Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1744928625269395725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Ghost Econ]

Who would have guess a guy whose dad ran emerald mines during apartheid in South Africa would be racist.

My father-in-law used to work as CEO for a guy who wouldn't hire black truck drivers or office workers because he thought blacks were too dumb to be trusted with that work. He would only allow them to be hired for warehouse work. My father-in-law only said something when he rage-retired.

[CrimsonFox]

I found this amusing

https://scontent.fluk1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/417810781_3013865705410164_1333848811654484346_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296&_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c42490&_nc_ohc=rBFMrnxozk4AX-_6Axg&_nc_ht=scontent.fluk1-1.fna&oh=00_AfDrAJwg1u4jMa3dVimy6GnTUqj7D6Qn15AkIILF6rqXHA&oe=65A4E607

[flere-imsaho]

Oh, that's good. :D

[GrantDawg]

For anyone interested, Bluesky is now open for anyone to join.

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[Lathum]

He's gone full on MAGA.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Then he called his Mommy, drank a whole case of soy milk &amp; bing-watched Rachel Maddow <a href="https://t.co/B1yV0OqhQr">pic.twitter.com/B1yV0OqhQr</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1760803376466653579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Ghost Econ]

I didn't know Rachel Maddow was on Bing now.

[Fidatelo]

Elon is a super douche but that tweet he's replying to is also as lame as can be.

[Mota]

Must have made Elon feel good to own that snowflake for a 4 year old tweet! He was probably still crying in 2024, right? /s

[albionmoonlight]

Must have made Elon feel good to own that snowflake for a 4 year old tweet! He was probably still crying in 2024, right? /s

LOL. I thought that the guy had just posted about voting in the primary.

Elon has more free time than anyone I know.

[Ghost Econ]

No, see, he's a CEO of 4 companies... now, don't try to work 2 jobs at once as a regular human, that's just greed.

[Ksyrup]

You have a surprising amount of down time when you sleep on the floor at the office instead of interacting with humans like a normal person.

[Ghost Econ]

I know you're talking about Elon, but I actually spent most of a month sleeping on the floor of my home office while my wife and I traded random illnesses. Add in the lack of human contact and it really cuts deep.

[Mota]

No, see, he's a CEO of 4 companies... now, don't try to work 2 jobs at once as a regular human, that's just greed.

Hopefully he is working a minimum of 40 hours per week onsite at each company, like he requires his employees to do.

[albionmoonlight]

Latest saga on Twitter is that he appears unaware that PCs come with operating systems. And, on the advice of some people responding to his tweets, he is texting the CEO of Microsoft for tech-support.

[Atocep]

Latest saga on Twitter is that he appears unaware that PCs come with operating systems. And, on the advice of some people responding to his tweets, he is texting the CEO of Microsoft for tech-support.

Well that was between postings supporting the great replacement.

[RainMaker]

Latest saga on Twitter is that he appears unaware that PCs come with operating systems. And, on the advice of some people responding to his tweets, he is texting the CEO of Microsoft for tech-support.

Modern day Tony Stark!

[Ksyrup]

I almost never spend any time on Twitter these days, but I've noticed a ramp up of push notifications to my phone from right wingers. I got 3 from Musk directly, so I had to block him, followed by DT Jr, then today Laura Ingraham. I don't follow any of them, but now they are all blocked.

[NobodyHere]

Nate Silver calls to shut down Gemini after Google’s AI chatbot refuses to say if Hitler or Musk is worse (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nate-silver-calls-to-shut-down-gemini-after-google-s-ai-chatbot-refuses-to-say-if-hitler-or-musk-is-worse/ar-BB1iSaBt?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=c03f1434084040c289e94eaaa0e1ccfa&ei=41)

[RainMaker]

Only because I sort of work tangentially to the AI stuff, these people are insane and think AI is much more robust than it actually is. These things are just spinning existing content they scraped, they're not sentient or any of that shit.

[JPhillips]

Getting harder and harder to justify staying on a platform where the owner is so openly racist. I guess I need to see what Bluesky has to offer.

[Ksyrup]

I haven't opened the app in a few months just to browse. About the only time I use the app is sending DMs with videos back and forth with my kids (usually I'll see something linked elsewhere) or following up on posts from certain accounts I get notifications for. That's about it.

[Lathum]

I spend maybe 1/10th the time I used to there and when I do open it I scroll for a bout 2 minutes before feeling like I need a shower and shut it down.

[PilotMan]

Steve Mnuchin is leading a group to purchase tiktok to comply with the proposed US divesting. Meaning that two of the largest social media companies would essentially be under the control of right wing sympathizers.



https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/former-treasury-secretary-mnuchin-is-putting-together-an-investor-group-to-buy-tiktok.html

[RainMaker]

That seems to be the plan. If you can't beat them, make the government force a sale to you. Capitalism baby!

[Atocep]

Steve Mnuchin is leading a group to purchase tiktok to comply with the proposed US divesting. Meaning that two of the largest social media companies would essentially be under the control of right wing sympathizers.



https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/14/former-treasury-secretary-mnuchin-is-putting-together-an-investor-group-to-buy-tiktok.html


The right has openly talked about the Nazi ideals of owning the youth to own the future. I don't think it's going to work on most of today's youth, but they'll continue to brainwash and indoctrinate older generations that are more susceptible to this kind of stuff.

[GrantDawg]

The level a narcissism. He cannot be questioned. Anything good is all him, but anything bad is someone else's fault.

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am losing my mind that Don Lemon looked at Elon right in the face and basically said “gonna cry?”<a href="https://t.co/dkEsUqaa8r">pic.twitter.com/dkEsUqaa8r</a></p>&mdash; evan (@esjesjesj) <a href="https://twitter.com/esjesjesj/status/1769940927429116309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

[albionmoonlight]

It is always such a train wreck when one of these famous people (business, politics, acting, whatever) who surrounds themselves with nothing but sycophants and yesmen and fanboys tries to have a normal conversation or interview with someone.

They are just completely flummoxed by the most normal questions. You can see the panic and confusion welling up as they are asked to respond.

[Atocep]

Alejandra Caraballo banned from Elon Musk’s X platform (https://www.advocate.com/media/alejandra-caraballo-banned-x)

Musk believes in freedom of speech for neo-nazi's but not for those outing people that are neo-nazi's.

[RainMaker]

The level a narcissism. He cannot be questioned. Anything good is all him, but anything bad is someone else's fault.

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am losing my mind that Don Lemon looked at Elon right in the face and basically said “gonna cry?”<a href="https://t.co/dkEsUqaa8r">pic.twitter.com/dkEsUqaa8r</a></p>&mdash; evan (@esjesjesj) <a href="https://twitter.com/esjesjesj/status/1769940927429116309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

Imagine getting owned by Don Lemon of all people.

[RainMaker]

It is always such a train wreck when one of these famous people (business, politics, acting, whatever) who surrounds themselves with nothing but sycophants and yesmen and fanboys tries to have a normal conversation or interview with someone.

They are just completely flummoxed by the most normal questions. You can see the panic and confusion welling up as they are asked to respond.

I think it's even worse in tech because the journalism in that industry is incredibly friendly too. Once they get put of thst bubble of sycophants and friendly tech outlets, they have no clue how to handle themselves. The smart ones just avoid these interviews.

[Mota]

Imagine getting owned by Don Lemon of all people.

I have to leave in 2 minutes.

Hmm, so maybe spend that two minutes answering the F'ing question instead of throwing a hissy fit?

[RainMaker]

Does anyone remember when Musk challenged Zuck to a fight, Zuckerberg accepted, then Musk backed out?

[cuervo72]

Getting a lot of weird ads that just look like tweets from random people. Just a one line tweet, nondescript user, but has AD at the top right. At least they're not all right-wing think tanks anymore?

[albionmoonlight]

Saw a Cybertruck in the wild for the first time yesterday.

It does not look as strange on the road as I thought it would.

Also bigger than I thought it was.

[Kodos]

Was it rusty?

[albionmoonlight]

From what I can tell (it was on the road, so I couldn't look closely), it wasn't rusty and the door seams looked normal (Of course those were the two things I tried to check out as it was driving past :-))

[Kodos]

Must not have been raining.

[albionmoonlight]

$TSLA shares down 7% in premarket trading after release of Q1 sales numbers.

I guess the lesson for business school students is that a CEO showing his whole ass in public constantly might not be a winning growth strategy.

[Ksyrup]

Saw someone reference his post mocking Native Americans yesterday (about stolen land from the dinosaurs - WOW SO FUNNY AND CLEVER!). Not sure what precipitated it, but OK?

[Corny_1]

I wonder what in the world would have him thinking about the "Dinousour land" in this era but if that doesn't make him seem lunatic or off the rails I don't know when people will realise that...

[whomario]

State of Twitter right now in 3 words:

Nudes in bio

[Ghost Econ]

I'm in car line at my daughter's school and someone is driving a cyber truck. It looks just as dumb in person as it does online.

[RainMaker]

Can you order different colors because that stainless steel look is so bad.

[sovereignstar v2]

Can you order different colors because that stainless steel look is so bad.

The other option is Rust

[GrantDawg]

I saw a Range Rover Saturday that was silver but reflected different colors depending on how the light hit it. It almost looked like it was glowing. Craziest car color I have ever seen. Cool, but crazy.

[RainMaker]

The Cybertruck is not for me but it looks so much better when I've seen it mocked up with colors.

https://i.imgur.com/KwZWNwB.jpeg

[Flasch186]

This is an underrated win

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240506/6565a19078ec50c7499117160c118f08.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sovereignstar v2]

This is an underrated win

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240506/6565a19078ec50c7499117160c118f08.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love to see that you also have issues quoting with Tapatalk. Going as far as screenshotting so you can quote haha

[HerRealName]

I saw my first cybertruck being driven by a woman today. I had to do a double take.

[Flasch186]

I thought it was just me lol

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240506/a16a2baa79ccf609236a14bc8b04f0e6.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ghost Econ]

Yeah, it rained today and there were water streaks on the Cybertruck. It looked like my fridge after my daughter uses the water dispenser.

It still had the dealer tags and was likely delivered yesterday, so Id be pissed if the car I got yesterday already looked like shit.

[Fidatelo]

I'm at a conference in Portland this week and saw my first ever live Cybertruck yesterday. It was a dark 'army' green and we guessed they must have wrapped it or something, but the colour (at least that green colour) did not really do anything to make it look less ridiculous.

[Ksyrup]

I just saw a story about some YouTuber who put his finger in the CyberTruck trunk as it closed to demonstrate that it was safe (apparently it's supposed to sense an obstacle and bounce back?) - and he broke his finger on camera. I'm not going to watch the video, but apparently he tried it first with a stick - which broke - then his finger. Brilliant!

[Ghost Econ]

Don't watch the banana videos... #dontstickyourdickinthat

[RainMaker]

There's a post going around of a guy who got a huge gash on his leg from one of the corners of his cybertruck. He of course still "loves the truck" but I guess you have to be careful with those sharp corners.

[Ghost Econ]

You know JK Rowling has completely lost the plot when even Elon Musk tells her to maybe tone it down.

[whomario]

Hang it in the Louvre

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQUQKdQXoAAOLML?format=jpg&name=small

[NobodyHere]

This really needs to happen

Musk: Yes, I’ll Fight Venezuelan President Maduro on National TV (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/musk-yes-i-ll-fight-venezuelan-president-maduro-on-national-tv/ar-BB1qYErc?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=d4b588efff8446d7a96fc6e5d0aa07c6&ei=92)

Off course we know it won't.

[Lathum]

I see the most vile shit on X but when I tell someone to go stick their head in an oven I get a 12 hour time out.

[Lathum]

So now I’m suspended a week for telling someone who was spreading false info that Trump did a great job with COVID to go inject bleach but people like Laura loomer get boosted for saying the most vile things.

[GrantDawg]

So now I’m suspended a week for telling someone who was spreading false info that Trump did a great job with COVID to go inject bleach but people like Laura loomer get boosted for saying the most vile things.


Musk is even more aggressively moving the platform Right. I will say they did finally somehow get rid of many of the porn bot posters in replies.

[albionmoonlight]

The benefit for liberals is that Musk is a lonely weirdo who needs accolades and attention.

If he were smart and not neurotic, he'd very subtly shift Twitter to the right. It would all be behind the scenes and happen slowly. The left wouldn't react against it because they wouldn't know that there'd be anything against which to react.

But if he did it that way, it would be, by definition, behind the scenes. And everything he does has to be about getting MAGA chuds to give him accolades.

So at least he's doing it openly, and people can know how big of a grain of salt to take Twitter with.

[Atocep]

Elon definitely isn't helping with the weird image.

[SirFozzie]

Twitter is now suing folks for saying they should be boycotted, because.. anti-trust something something.. (and like all good culture war lawsuits, they filed it in a particular district because there's only one judge in the district, and they are ultra-right wing.

[RainMaker]

This is what that Jacob Wohl guy went to jail for but even worse. Don't think anything will come of it because Musk is too rich, but pretty insane.


https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/04/elon-musk-pac-investigated-michigan.html

[thesloppy]

'Member back when he first bought Twitter and folks (in here included) thought he was some kind of neutral altruist, because he said he voted Democrat that one time.

[whomario]

Good thing for him is he only needs to shoot a convertible version of a Tesla to Mars and the ads will flow again.

[albionmoonlight]

Between the Olympics and this EU warning letter rekindling my love of the First Amendment, I'm feeling super USA! USA! USA! lately.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With great audience comes greater responsibility <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DSA</a><br><br>As there is a risk of amplification of potentially harmful content in ���� in connection with events with major audience around the world, I sent this letter to <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> <br><br>��⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/P1IgxdPLzn">pic.twitter.com/P1IgxdPLzn</a></p>&mdash; Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThierryBreton/status/1823033048109367549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Lathum]

Idiots melting down about this as if other countries don't have laws regarding misinformation. There is a reason you can't get FOX News in England. They knew early on.

[albionmoonlight]

Burglar Discovers You Can Peel Cybertruck and Access the Inside (https://futurism.com/the-byte/burglar-cybertruck-glass-window)

What a horribly engineered machine.

[Atocep]

Burglar Discovers You Can Peel Cybertruck and Access the Inside (https://futurism.com/the-byte/burglar-cybertruck-glass-window)

What a horribly engineered machine.

Yeah at this point the Pinto is laughing at the Cybertruck.

[Edward64]

X vs Brazil. Now Starlink vs Brazil.

Seems as if Brazil has the upper hand right now. I don't understand all the nuances but seems like a stupid fight for Elon to pick with Brazil. Fight the "free speech" battle in the US, not in another sovereign nation.

Wonder what is X's next step now.

Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked Tuesday and said it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s order to block the billionaire’s social media platform, X.

Starlink said in a statement posted on X that it will heed Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ order despite him having frozen the company’s assets. Previously, it informally told the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed course.

“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” the company statement said. “We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent order violate the Brazilian constitution.”

De Moraes froze Starlink’s accounts last week as a means to compel it to cover X’s fines that already exceeded $3 million, reasoning that the two companies are part of the same economic group.

[NobodyHere]

Why shouldn't Brazilians enjoy free speech too?

[Edward64]

Why shouldn't Brazilians enjoy free speech too?

They should. But even free speech in the US has limits.

Why should Elon be the person to determine HIS definition (and limits) of free speech in a sovereign/friendly country? I would feel more confident in Elon's intentions if he was to champion free speech in China first.

Just a moment... (https://www.axios.com/2024/08/29/brazil-x-ban-elon-musk-threat)
A Brazil Supreme Court judge warned Elon Musk Wednesday that he would have X suspended in Latin America's largest nation if the billionaire didn't name a legal representative for the platform in the country within 24 hours.

The big picture: Justice Alexandre de Moraes' summons alerting Musk that X has until about 8pm local time Thursday (7pm ET) to comply with the order comes after the platform announced earlier this month that it would close its operations in Brazil over what it called the judge's "censorship orders."

Context: Brazilian officials have in recent months been cracking down on social media accounts that spread misinformation and hate speech.


Moraes announced in April that he was investigating Musk for obstruction of justice after the former X CEO vowed to defy a court order blocking certain accounts on his platform in Brazil.

[cuervo72]

Hrm, funny that all of a sudden a whole mess of stuff is being labeled "Adult Content." (Including, uh, clips taken from CNN.)

[cuervo72]

I mean, a STAMPS BOT post came with a warning. (STAMPS BOT is exactly what you'd think it is.)

[RainMaker]

They should. But even free speech in the US has limits.

Why should Elon be the person to determine HIS definition (and limits) of free speech in a sovereign/friendly country? I would feel more confident in Elon's intentions if he was to champion free speech in China first.

Just a moment... (https://www.axios.com/2024/08/29/brazil-x-ban-elon-musk-threat)

I should add that his position changes based on which country is asking. He will remove content and ban users in countries with far-right leaders (Hungary, India, Israel, Saudi Arabia) but only "stands for free speech" in left-wing countries like Brazil.

I don't think anyone should be banning content like this but he absolutely doesn't care about free speech.

[albionmoonlight]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on ��</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1835573866271330307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He gets life lessons that I would expect my 8th grader to have figured out by now and posts them like they are bits of hard earned wisdom from a wise sage.

[Ksyrup]

Elon tweeting his disappointment/curiosity that no one is trying to assassinate Harris or Biden is really peak Elon.

[NobodyHere]

Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov says Elon Musk ‘remotely disabled’ his Tesla Cybertruck | South China Morning Post (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3279228/chechen-warlord-ramzan-kadyrov-says-elon-musk-remotely-disabled-his-tesla-cybertruck)

So does mounting a machine gun on your cybertruck violate the terms of service or something?

Also I guess Musk can disable any cybertruck that he wants?

[Ksyrup]

I just saw one of these in the wild for the first time on Monday, in Lexington. It looked even more ridiculous in person than I imagined. It was white. Even the brake lights were stupid looking - they looked like some sort of PC Jr.-generated pixelated red lights. My wife saw it and just busted out laughing.

[flere-imsaho]

If I've been following the news correctly, it seems that Cybertrucks do a pretty good job of disabling themselves.

[RainMaker]

I just saw one of these in the wild for the first time on Monday, in Lexington. It looked even more ridiculous in person than I imagined. It was white. Even the brake lights were stupid looking - they looked like some sort of PC Jr.-generated pixelated red lights. My wife saw it and just busted out laughing.

The ones that have are not stainless steel are actually the better looking ones. Wait till you see the stainless steel one. It looks ridiculous with fingerprints all over it.

[RainMaker]

So a reporter decided to post the hacked materials from the Trump campaign. His account was suspended by free speech absolutist Elon shortly after.


If you want to read it, it's here (https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/read-the-jd-vance-dossier).

[GrantDawg]

Sounds like a big nothing-burger. About what I expected when the press didn't release it.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

Elon also has such a lack of self-awareness, he actually tweeted that Mark Cuban is proof thast morons can become billionaires.

[Insert Face Palm Emoji Here]

[JPhillips]

Looks like Elon's robots were "human assisted" which means a guy in a haptic suit did everything the robot did.

[Mota]

Twitter becomes more of a cesspool every day. It's just right wing MAGA morons that are left, I do stay because I follow a bunch of wrestling stuff on there, but all of the "normal people" are gone.

[GrantDawg]

Twitter becomes more of a cesspool every day. It's just right wing MAGA morons that are left, I do stay because I follow a bunch of wrestling stuff on there, but all of the "normal people" are gone.
I only use the "following" tab, so I stay away from most the far Right stuff unless it is someone reposting a reaction to it, but many of the regular posters I follow are gone. Like yesterday during the college games, there are usually a pretty steady stream of reactions from all the sports accounts I follow. It was pretty quiet.

[RainMaker]

Seems weird Musk has high security clearance and gets hundreds of billions in welfare and contracts.

[flere-imsaho]

Does it seem weird though, really?

[JPhillips]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow: Twitter's new ToS says all disputes will be heard in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas located in Tarrant County (Tesla investor Reed O'Connor's court) <br><br>Truly remarkable, considering Twitter's new HQ is NOT in this district, but in western Texas. <a href="https://t.co/IoJgrVgytq">pic.twitter.com/IoJgrVgytq</a></p>&mdash; Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyAllyn/status/1846948738452906112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[JonInMiddleGA]

Twitter becomes more of a cesspool every day. It's just right wing MAGA morons that are left, I do stay because I follow a bunch of wrestling stuff on there, but all of the "normal people" are gone.

Au contraire. I get the leftist dregs of humanity all the time, all I have to do is click on virtually any trending topic/phrase/hashtag.

This just adds to my belief that the real algorithm largely exists to shove shit we don't want down our throats because pissed off users tend to engage more.

[bronconick]

Twitter becomes more of a cesspool every day. It's just right wing MAGA morons that are left, I do stay because I follow a bunch of wrestling stuff on there, but all of the "normal people" are gone.

I'm down to mostly high school football scores and occasional college hockey. I can get the rest elsewhere and only will target a story so I can find the source

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm down to mostly high school football scores

It is absolutely a Godsend for that purpose.

[Ksyrup]

Au contraire. I get the leftist dregs of humanity all the time, all I have to do is click on virtually any trending topic/phrase/hashtag.

This just adds to my belief that the real algorithm largely exists to shove shit we don't want down our throats because pissed off users tend to engage more.

That may very well be the case.

I'm glad I no longer need Twitter for HS sports and my girls' recruiting stuff. I had been slowly weeding my follow list of a bunch of college and travel SB teams/coaches, but Elon made me short-cut it by pushing me to weed myself from my own feed.

[GrantDawg]

Au contraire. I get the leftist dregs of humanity all the time, all I have to do is click on virtually any trending topic/phrase/hashtag.

This just adds to my belief that the real algorithm largely exists to shove shit we don't want down our throats because pissed off users tend to engage more.
That is absolutely what the algorithm is trained to do. It is all about keeping you pissed off and clicking.

[RainMaker]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow: Twitter's new ToS says all disputes will be heard in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas located in Tarrant County (Tesla investor Reed O'Connor's court) <br><br>Truly remarkable, considering Twitter's new HQ is NOT in this district, but in western Texas. <a href="https://t.co/IoJgrVgytq">pic.twitter.com/IoJgrVgytq</a></p>&mdash; Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyAllyn/status/1846948738452906112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

LOL

[PilotMan]

The speed at which AI and bots are flooding and taking over social media is amazing. A lot of my feed is fake AI generated content purporting to show something 'amazing' that 'not many people' know about, or some 'once in a lifetime' shot in space, or earth, and it's all such bullshit. We thought the eclipse was bad, that was just the start.


Then you have thousands upon thousands of bots that comment on it with 'praying hands' 'amen' and all manner of expression. You have people calling it fake, and bots replying asking to be friends with said person using the most wooden, overly formal structure. I'm not on twitter, but I can only imagine that it's worse over there.



It feels like this is a new medium of dialogue and it will turn people off from all of it, and it'll serve to influence people in all manner of ways. Convincing someone that your 'sky full of meteors' or the 'incredible moonrise' that just happened to be framed by a tree that exactly the right size was planned and totally real, is one thing, and it's the start of moving on to much more complex and influential points of view. If people will buy in and believe this shit, how can we actually function together in the real world?

[flere-imsaho]

This just adds to my belief that the real algorithm largely exists to shove shit we don't want down our throats because pissed off users tend to engage more.

Agree with this 100%. This is literally what all of social media is for. If all of social media disappeared tomorrow I'm 100% confident the world would be a better place.

[Radii]

Au contraire. I get the leftist dregs of humanity all the time

It definitely makes me laugh to think we may be watching the same content. I'm just doing it on purpose.


This just adds to my belief that the real algorithm largely exists to shove shit we don't want down our throats because pissed off users tend to engage more.

I quit facebook for this reason. Tiktok will occasionally give me a spree of MAGA content, but as long as I don't interact with it in any way (including going to the comments to laugh at the losers) it goes away soon enough.

[GrantDawg]

I quit facebook for this reason. Tiktok will occasionally give me a spree of MAGA content, but as long as I don't interact with it in any way (including going to the comments to laugh at the losers) it goes away soon enough.
It is what drives me crazy on twitter, the people that engage the nonsense. Stop quote tweeting these people! That is what they want! Ignore their stupidity. Your funny quip isn't going to suddenly change their mind. but it will drive them to more engagement.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Agree with this 100%. This is literally what all of social media is for. If all of social media disappeared tomorrow I'm 100% confident the world would be a better place.

Eh, it'd also lead to considerably more isolation OR to more (ugh) in person interaction. I already don't like half the population just based on FB. If I ever dealt with these fuckers in person the numbers would surely be even higher.

(Yeah, "half" is understating things, but it's easier than doing the actual math)

[RainMaker]

I just logged into Twitter and got an ad for slavery. WTF is going on?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Blacks should support slavery.<br><br>Christians and Jews are who tore us apart. We used to protect you, feed you, and give you honest work; but they forced us to abandon you, out into the cold, and treat you not as friends, but as enemies.<br><br>Come home, slaves. We have work to do. <a href="https://t.co/gsQxM0VAfq">pic.twitter.com/gsQxM0VAfq</a></p>&mdash; The Hellenist ☀️ (@The_Hellenist) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Hellenist/status/1847261358221353316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[PilotMan]

It's the world of Musk now. Breathe it in.

[RainMaker]

I get so many Trump and Jill Stein ads on Twitter now that I'm wondering if Elon is just giving them for free.

[Thomkal]

Yowza-not that it will matter to Elon, but every Democrat who is still on Twitter the day after the election, cancel twitter and leave it for the racists, sexists, and white supremacists.

[Passacaglia]

That Hellenist account is a joke, right?

[Mota]

Very weird, I blocked the Black Insurrectionist account, and it started showing up on my feeds again. Could Musk be unblocking right wing accounts for users, or did they just create a new account? Strange, but not surprising.

My "For You" feed is much better now, I had to mute a LOT of users.

[GrantDawg]

I'm back to using Bluesky more. They have improved lots of the functionality on there, and another big influx of people have started posting. Still, it is missing lots of the news and sports reporters I follow on Twitter, which is the only reason I'm still there.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

I just didn't (and still don't) have the energy to start over on another Twitter, so i never followed through on Bluesky or the others. I tried but gave up. Reddit satisfies my social media needs - similar to Twitter but more organized and closer to a messageboard-like feel for deeper discussions.

[RainMaker]

Incredibly funny that he's just doing a completely illegal election crime and no one can do anything about it. Can't hand bottles of water out in Georgia though.

[RainMaker]

It definitely makes me laugh to think we may be watching the same content. I'm just doing it on purpose.

I quit facebook for this reason. Tiktok will occasionally give me a spree of MAGA content, but as long as I don't interact with it in any way (including going to the comments to laugh at the losers) it goes away soon enough.

They all mostly suck. TikTok is too young for me. I get the appeal and how it can be addictive, but it'd be something I'd be interested in 15 years ago.
IG is just not my thing and I never got into Facebook

Twitter is mostly dead. I use it to find a cool video of something that happened or follow local sports news. It's pretty good for finding out if someone is hurt for a game or other fantasy info. Sad because I prefer the shortform text-based social media style.

Telegram is surprisingly great. Kind of a mix of the best features from a bunch of other services. And one with the least amount of censorship. And no algorithm to push up all the clickbait. Not sure the U.S. would ever allow it to take foothold here, but it's terrific for international news.

[albionmoonlight]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST IN: The Justice Department has sent a letter to Elon Musk's super PAC, warning that his daily $1m giveaway to registered voters in swing states might violate federal laws, sources tell CNN. It's illegal to incentivize registration with cash/prizes. <a href="https://twitter.com/evanperez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@evanperez</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HBRabinowitz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HBRabinowitz</a></p>&mdash; Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshallCohen/status/1849164733368476038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

LOL. They literally sent Elon a strongly worded letter. That'll show him.

Tomorrow, I have four detention (i.e. bail) hearings in federal court for my clients--all of whom got a lot more than a strongly worded letter from the DOJ.

I guess there are a few hundred billion differences between Elon and my clients.

[RainMaker]

Well if he keeps this up, he can expect a second strongly worded letter in his mailbox soon.

[Kodos]

And maybe a demerit!

[RainMaker]

The funniest part of the letter is it says "he might be violating the law". You're the fucking DOJ, shouldn't you know the law?

[GrantDawg]

The funniest part of the letter is it says "he might be violating the law". You're the fucking DOJ, shouldn't you know the law?
To that question, Merrick Garland responded "can anybody really know the law?"

[RainMaker]

Remarkable that he still has a security clearance and is given billions in government contracts.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Putin since late 2022. <br><br>At one point, Putin asked him to avoid activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Big <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WSJ</a> scoop: <a href="https://t.co/NUgcDtkzkR">https://t.co/NUgcDtkzkR</a></p>&mdash; Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) <a href="https://twitter.com/rebeccaballhaus/status/1849618291574128898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Atocep]

I think Elon has become addicted to the potential of some political power. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he tried running for president and tried to brand himself the next leader of MAGA.

EDIT: I guess he's South African so he's not eligible. The point remains, though, I think he wants to get heavily involved in politics as long as he can have an influence on MAGA.

[RainMaker]

Maybe he can buy Clarence a horse or something and SCOTUS will let him run for President.

[Ksyrup]

<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="740"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/1gf8ixy/just_when_i_needed_a_chuckle_today_i_saw_this/">Just when I needed a chuckle today, I saw this gold on the road (OC)</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DoWhatMakesYouRad/">u/DoWhatMakesYouRad</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/">MadeMeSmile</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

[Lathum]

I feel like if I am in the "following" tab I am comfortably enjoying a nice walk on my suburban cul-de-sac and as soon as I go to the "For You (it most certainly is not for me)" tab I've ventured into some inner city hellscape where danger lurks around every corner.

[Mota]

The funny thing is that my "For You" timeline was fine after muting a ton of MAGA's, and then a week later, FLOODED again. This is not the algorithm. It is being forced on us for sure.

[Ksyrup]

I hardly go on Twitter anymore, but I guess I still have some notifications set. In the morning, I usually have 3 or 4 tweets sitting in my notifications, and 3/4 of them are right-wingers I don't follow. The other is typically some regular (non-famous) person I follow.

[whomario]

https://i.imgur.com/tNYj2ax.jpeg

Interesting. Looking into it.

[Ghost Econ]

Is he trying to win the election for her?

[NobodyHere]

https://i.imgur.com/tNYj2ax.jpeg

Interesting. Looking into it.

The end of x.com...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yvr5I6fD3vU/maxresdefault.jpg

[Thomkal]

NH wins the thread with the XCom screenshot :)

[Ghost Econ]

So, the Twitter purchase definitely worked out for Musk and conservatives, right? It essentially destroyed one of the liberals best organizing platforms and turned it into a massive organizing platform for conservatives.

[PilotMan]

Bingo

[GrantDawg]

Since the election, Twitter is feeling sort of empty, and Bluesky has picked up massively.

[JPhillips]

I moved to Bluesky and other than sports it's fine. I can always go back to twitter on game days, but I'm mostly done there. I just can't handle the volume of straight up nazis or nazi bots there.

[GrantDawg]

I am loving Bluesky. Most of my Wherl of Time fandom friends ate there now. Some of the law nerds are pretty active there. The sports scene is still light, but I am hopeful that will come. I saw a reporter saying that Bluesky is a much better alternative than Threads because of the level of censorship (blocking certain words and phrases, much like Tik Tok) makes posting there a challenge. Without the algorithm pushing rage bait on you all the time, social media can be pleasant.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[JPhillips]

What's your handle?

I'm arlecchinoswart

[Atocep]

I've seen some people posting data showing they actually get way more engagement on bluesky even with lower follower counts than Twitter.

[Atocep]

I also saw some anecdotal postings from people that they started seeing their first Kamala tweets after the election after seeing zero in the run up to eelection day.

[GrantDawg]

What's your handle?

I'm arlecchinoswart


Leeroy's Dad. @grantdawg.bsky.social


The only thing I don't like about Bluesky is that you can't embed post from there here.

[GrantDawg]

I just deactivated my Twitter. Thought about posting a final tweet, but really no one on there cares.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[JPhillips]

Not sure where to put this, but apparently the FBI raided the home of the Polymarket CEO.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I just deactivated my Twitter. Thought about posting a final tweet, but really no one on there cares.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

It's a social media platform, not an airport.

There's no need to announce departures.

[GrantDawg]

It's a social media platform, not an airport.

There's no need to announce departures.
That's the exact comment I put on my Bluesky why I didn't. It really is good to let followers know if you are leaving and where you are going, though. I just didn't have enough followers or engagement over there to make it worth while. Meantime, I already have surpassed my follower count from there on Bluesky, and pretty much every post has good engagement. Such a better experience.

[JPhillips]

The Onion bought Info Wars at auction.

[GrantDawg]

"Also, part of the reason we did bought InfoWars is because people on Bluesky told us it would be funny to buy InfoWars. And those people were right. This is the funniest thing that has ever happened."

https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3law3ikwies22

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[NobodyHere]

The Onion bought Info Wars at auction.

Not The Onion?

Does that phrase work here?

[Thomkal]

The Onion bought Info Wars at auction.


A fitting end

[Lathum]

Supposedly backed by the people of Sandy Hook.

[GrantDawg]

Bluesky picked up a million users in the week following the election. They just picked up another million in the last 24 hours.

[Ghost Econ]

Nothing says "Department of Government Efficiency" like having 2 people run a department and requiring 80 hour work weeks. It's like we have a government of opposite day department.

[Atocep]

Elon's own AI labeling him one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation on Twitter since he acquired the platform is amazing.

[GrantDawg]

Bluesky picked up another million today. It is still far from the other apps, but it definitely feels alive and active now.

[Atocep]

Elon has a weird obsession with getting women pregnant. The guy has 11 kids, made the creepy offer to Taylor Swift, and is now suggesting we should teach fear of childlessness as part of sex Ed.

[sovereignstar v2]

The main accounts I follow for soccer have made their way over to Blue Sky, so it looks like I can finally ditch this shit

[Atocep]

Sum of the absolute most asinine takes from a guy the right champions as the smartest guy in the world.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There are certainly other factors at play, but heavy use of c-sections allows for a larger brain, as brain size has historically been limited by birth canal diameter</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1742409933411299706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[BYU 14]

I ditched Twitter long ago, but does anybody even call him out on the stupid shit he tweets?

[Ksyrup]

I don't either, but every time I read about people calling him out or making fun of him, it's followed by "and they were banned/suspended."

[albionmoonlight]

It's fascinating. The man just desperately wants/needs to be loved/liked/accepted.

And he has hundreds of billions of dollars.

And it feels like with that kind of money he could do things that are just unalloyed good and put his name all over them and get people to genuinely like and admire him.

He could build Musk centers to end veteran homelessness. Or endow Musk Grants to provide universal school lunch or free preschool.

Instead, he's using the money to become a supervillain.

Even from a purely selfish point of view on his end, I don't get it.

[CrimsonFox]

So he thinks brains are like goldfish?

[dubb93]

You guys remember five years ago when everyone thought this guy was some sort of genius? Yikes.

[whomario]

Musk: X needs more positive contebt

The positive content:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ggnd8mwWsAAK7cD?format=jpg&name=small

[JPhillips]

Turns out the guy who gets rich because of apartheid really likes apartheid.

[Kodos]

You guys remember five years ago when everyone thought this guy was some sort of genius? Yikes.

I'll admit that I bought in on the whole "genius" thing early on. Not so much anymore!

[Ksyrup]

You guys remember five years ago when everyone thought this guy was some sort of genius? Yikes.

I had a discussion with my Trumpy-ish SIL over Thanksgiving and brought up what an idiot MusK is and she about choked on her drink. Like, she couldn't believe anyone doesn't believe he's a full-fledged genius.

[Atocep]

The guy plays Diablo and POE all day while shit posting on Twitter and people think this guy is going to fix the budget.

Based on what he claims his character level in POE2 is and his world rank in Diablo there's no way he's putting less than 40 hours per week into these games while expecting his employees to pull 60-80 hour work weeks.

[albionmoonlight]

I assumed he bought his characters from some Asian gaming sweatshop.

[CrimsonFox]

The guy plays Diablo and POE all day while shit posting on Twitter and people think this guy is going to fix the budget.

Based on what he claims his character level in POE2 is and his world rank in Diablo there's no way he's putting less than 40 hours per week into these games while expecting his employees to pull 60-80 hour work weeks.

I've never in the history of histories known anyone that plays BOTH Diablow AND POE. That's just....you can't like both!

[Atocep]

I assumed he bought his characters from some Asian gaming sweatshop.

So this seems to be the case. He made the mistake of posting some gameplay footage of himself playing and it's been mocked and made fun of by the POE community that actually does play at the level Elon claims to.

It looks like he's paid other people to level the account. He had a level 97 hardcore character that died on Friday. To reach that level, a conservative estimate would have him playing 12-15 hours every single day since the game launched. In the clip he posted it's clear he doesn't understand the game, terminology, didn't understand itemization, and didn't even understand how basic end game mechanics like starting a map work. Another oddity was that when he went to his storage there was a tab there named "Elons Tab" which is just really weird to name a storage tab after yourself.

Just a really weird thing to lie about. Further proof this man will do nearly anything for validation.

[kingfc22]

It’s all a con and they know who the suckers are.

[RainMaker]

With TikTok being banned on the 19th, I wonder who ends up being the winner. Guessing Zuck gets the most gains as they will sort of have a monopoly on that style, but maybe Twitter adds a short videos element.

The Zuck vs Musk rivalry might heat up.

[GrantDawg]

Google Shorts has a good chance to pick up steam as well. I have seen more people looking at Google over Instagram, but that is a small sample size.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[RainMaker]

Google Shorts is like 90% TikTok reposts. I think the big issue for these companies is they don't pay creators much for short form. TikTok had a huge creators fund. That was the goal of the ban but it'll be interesting to see if people still make as much original content without the financial incentive.

[Atocep]

With TikTok being banned on the 19th, I wonder who ends up being the winner. Guessing Zuck gets the most gains as they will sort of have a monopoly on that style, but maybe Twitter adds a short videos element.

The Zuck vs Musk rivalry might heat up.

I've seen some skepticism that it gets banned. It sounds like SCOTUS would have to rule on an algorithm being considered free speech which they've punted on several times previously. They may just punt on it and wait on the Trump administration to drop it.

I don't think anything META ends up winning. There's a lot of pushback against Zuck right now after the disaster of an announcement he had a few days ago along with the amount of money he's spent lobbying to kill tiktok. Clapper could end up being the big winner if it does happen. I could see youtube getting some of the attention as well. Instagram will be where the gains are for Zuck but I don't think it's going to be at the level he hopes.

[CrimsonFox]

has anyone joined the big exodus from Friendface--I mean Facebook?

I'm still there. I like posting cool animal pics and music. Also I need my memes
Oh yeah and still talk to people there

[Ksyrup]

I quit over 3 years ago. I still have an account so I can use Messenger, but that's it. I haven't logged into FB for several years.

[RainMaker]

I want to see the Musk-Zuck MMA fight.

[Ghost Econ]

I quit over 3 years ago. I still have an account so I can use Messenger, but that's it. I haven't logged into FB for several years.

Same, not sure the last post. I just use it to occasionally sell something then immediately regret listing it.

[RainMaker]

I've seen some skepticism that it gets banned. It sounds like SCOTUS would have to rule on an algorithm being considered free speech which they've punted on several times previously. They may just punt on it and wait on the Trump administration to drop it.

I don't think anything META ends up winning. There's a lot of pushback against Zuck right now after the disaster of an announcement he had a few days ago along with the amount of money he's spent lobbying to kill tiktok. Clapper could end up being the big winner if it does happen. I could see youtube getting some of the attention as well. Instagram will be where the gains are for Zuck but I don't think it's going to be at the level he hopes.

Just reading up on the SCOTUS appearance, it doesn't sound like they'll get a favorable ruling. Most of the judges really pushed back on their arguments. And with Trump taking office, I imagine they'll want him to have the power to ban sites he doesn't like.

I think Meta wins because Reels is the closest replacement and probably appeals to younger audience. None of the apps can come close to replicating the algorithm which is where TikTok thrived. So there may just be a lot less people using the apps.

As for Clapper and others, I think it'll be an uphill climb. Maybe if they get acquired but if they build up a user base, Trump can just ban the app as a favor to Musk or Zuck.

[Atocep]

Just reading up on the SCOTUS appearance, it doesn't sound like they'll get a favorable ruling. Most of the judges really pushed back on their arguments. And with Trump taking office, I imagine they'll want him to have the power to ban sites he doesn't like.

I think Meta wins because Reels is the closest replacement and probably appeals to younger audience. None of the apps can come close to replicating the algorithm which is where TikTok thrived. So there may just be a lot less people using the apps.

As for Clapper and others, I think it'll be an uphill climb. Maybe if they get acquired but if they build up a user base, Trump can just ban the app as a favor to Musk or Zuck.


I think the most likely outcome, if there's a ban, is that you see a major dropoff in use since there isn't a true replacement out there. Reels sucks and the $20 million Zuck spent lobbying against tiktok isn't helping as word of it spreads on tiktok. The immediate aftermath will be a scramble to find something since a large number of people use tiktok as their income but it just isn't realistic for the communities of 10s of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions of people to just migrate to where their favorite creators end up.

The SCOTUS questions really showed how out of touch and old these people are that are going to make decisions on technology. I still think they punt on the issue mostly because they don't want to decide on whether an algorithm can be free speech or not.

I don't think the government understands the impact of a ban either. There are a ton of businesses that have been saved or able to thrive because of tiktok and no other social media app exists that gives them the same engagement. The restaurant industry, specifically, will likely suffer.

[GrantDawg]

Reels I have seen are 90% TikTok rethreads as well. After TikTok shuts, both places will be 99% TikTok rethreads as people are just reposting their old libraries. YouTube doesn't pay much, but they pay some. Instagram pays zilch. That's why the people I am following all seem to be looking at YouTube. They say they are going to have to way more sponsored content to make up that loss of the creator fund either way. Also, TikTok shop was such an easy way to make money.
Both sites have issues, but I don't think one is a slam dunk over the other.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Atocep]

Reels I have seen are 90% TikTok rethreads as well. After TikTok shuts, both places will be 99% TikTok rethreads as people are just reposting their old libraries. YouTube doesn't pay much, but they pay some. Instagram pays zilch. That's why the people I am following all seem to be looking at YouTube. They say they are going to have to way more sponsored content to make up that loss of the creator fund either way. Also, TikTok shop was such an easy way to make money.
Both sites have issues, but I don't think one is a slam dunk over the other.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Most of the people that make longer, topic based content seem to be ready to head to youtube. There really isn't anything that offers the same for the shorter variety-style content. The damage to small businesses is going to be astronomical and difficult to capture or predict.