Elon Musk buying Twitter

[Snarky Oracle!]

Are you sure you weren't hacked? My account was hacked last year. Luckily, I got an email notifying me about a new login. I was able to change my password and shut them out.

I assume I was hacked. I also determined that the email address I used related to Twitter was also hacked as I hadn't checked that email in weeks and then noticed nothing was there -- zero spams, no emails of any sort.

So I just changed that email password. But Twitter can suck it.

 

[Frank Underwood]

I assume I was hacked. I also determined that the email address I used related to Twitter was also hacked as I hadn't checked that email in weeks and then noticed nothing was there -- zero spams, no emails of any sort.

Data breaches are common, unfortunately. It's happened to me several times across email and social media sites.

So I just changed that email password. But Twitter can suck it.

As someone who's still on Twitter (I can't get used to X,) you're not missing much. I have a few contacts I keep in touch with there, but it's mostly a beacon for nonsense.

I'm sure some people will blame that on Musk, but it's pretty much always been that way. What little common sense makes it through is almost immediately crapped on.

 

[Angela Channing]

I recently got a notice telling me that my X/Twitter account was suspended due to misbehavior.

The problem is that I haven't used it, or even logged in, in more than 15 years.

That happened to me although I had been using my account. There was absolutely no justification for them to suspend my account and after I raised the issue with them they reinstated it after about a month with no explanation regarding what precisely caused them to suspend it in the first place.

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Never had a twitter account. All i ever got from it was bad news, like hearing over and over from various people that it was the most toxic bubble on the internet and now that debacle with Mr. Musk. Never got the feeling that i missed out on anything "important".
For political discussions i use my political forum, for news i use the official news channels which are fake news proved, for my technical/electronical stuff i use my tech forums and youtube and for my soapy guilty pleasure there's tellytalk.
So why twitter? For what?? Same goes for stupid tiktok, think that's even worse than twitter. Or at least much, much dumber and even more useless.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Never had a twitter account. All i ever got from it was bad news, like hearing over and over from various people that it was the most toxic bubble on the internet and now that debacle with Mr. Musk. Never got the feeling that i missed out on anything "important".
For political discussions i use my political forum, for news i use the official news channels which are fake news proved, for my technical/electronical stuff i use my tech forums and youtube and for my soapy guilty pleasure there's tellytalk.
So why twitter? For what?? Same goes for stupid tiktok, think that's even worse than twitter. Or at least much, much dumber and even more useless.

You make good points. I guess this forum is a form of social media, although it is far less populated than the others, so I don't want to appear contradictory.
The good part of social media is also the disadvantage of social media - everyone has a voice, with claims of fact that are really opinion , ideology, agenda, or all three.
The "news" isn't news anymore. It is an amalgam of promoting ideology and agenda, mostly on the left.
And the elite maintain their privileged status, nonetheless because people are so divided.
No matter what the outcome of any election or legislation, the elite will always prosper,
because they have the resources to adapt and profit from any situation, and any form of government
I do not know of any realistic solution to this situation

 

[Willie Oleson]

and for my soapy critically acclaimed artistic masterpiece TV there's tellytalk.

I fixed that typo for you, Matthew. We are here to help each other.

 

[Angela Channing]

So Putin's henchmen Petr Aven and Vadim Moshkovich helped Elon Musk acquire Twitter which explains why its algorithms have changed to push right wing conspiracies and hate speech and why fascists like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon have been allowed back on the platform.

Full list of investors in Elon Musk's X revealed in court filing

The list includes former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Frank Underwood]

Twitter/X has always pushed the agenda of its investors and operators. Prior to Musk's takeover, the previous regime did the bidding of the Democrats.

Like the mainstream media, social media sites reflect the ideologies of the people running them. Thus, they're always going to be run in a biased and unethical fashion.

 

[CeeCee72]

I personally haven't been on Twitter/X for months.

It's toxic - both the right and the left are out of control.

 

[Angela Channing]

Since Musk took over Twitter the site has really deteriorated and hate speech is rampant. Musk himself likes to insert himself and his right wing views on my timeline which is now full of pro-Trump and anti-Kamala Harris propaganda which no doubt helps his Russian friends trying to create division in western democracies. There has been a explosion of racism, especially Islamophobia, allowed because Musk claims it's free speech. It seems you can take Musk out of apartheid but you can't take apartheid out of Musk.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I stay off Twitter/X now for the most part these days. To be honest I no longer find it the least bit enjoyable. They’ve taken the fun out of it like most social media now. For me social media is an escape, not a place for propaganda of any kind or from either side but that’s just my view of course.

 

[Frank Underwood]

Musk's takeover hasn't significantly altered my timeline. I continue to see just as much vitriol from the MAGA cult as I do the blue-no-matter-who cult. In my experience, the division isn't coming from Russia. Instead, most of it comes from partisan cult members who use smears, manipulation, and voter shaming tactics in defense of their candidate.

Of course, whenever I see posts that I find particularly offensive, I still retain the ability to block or mute them. IMO, deplatforming should be strictly for criminal behavior.

Interestingly, much of the Islamophobia I encounter comes from Harris supporters. Harris firmly supports Israel and wouldn't let Palestinians speak at the DNC convention. Not surprisingly, many of her supporters push anti-Palestinian propaganda. They also tend to have a negative view of people protesting the US-funded genocide in Gaza.

Musk and his point of view have certainly made their way to my timeline, but it's never become this strictly right-wing echo chamber like some people claim it has for them.

 

[Angela Channing]

Musk's takeover hasn't significantly altered my timeline. I continue to see just as much vitriol from the MAGA cult as I do the blue-no-matter-who cult. In my experience, the division isn't coming from Russia. Instead, most of it comes from partisan cult members who use smears, manipulation, and voter shaming tactics in defense of their candidate.

Of course, whenever I see posts that I find particularly offensive, I still retain the ability to block or mute them. IMO, deplatforming should be strictly for criminal behavior.

Interestingly, much of the Islamophobia I encounter comes from Harris supporters. Harris firmly supports Israel and wouldn't let Palestinians speak at the DNC convention. Not surprisingly, many of her supporters push anti-Palestinian propaganda. They also tend to have a negative view of people protesting the US-funded genocide in Gaza.

Musk and his point of view have certainly made their way to my timeline, but it's never become this strictly right-wing echo chamber like some people claim it has for them.

The evidence suggests otherwise. My comments about Twitter's right-wing slant aren't just based on anecdotal evidence but also independent research.

Twitter has always had a right-wing bias, even before Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin took it over, as it's own research showed.

"Twitter amplifies tweets from right-leaning political parties and news outlets more than from the left, its own research suggests."

Twitter's algorithm favours right-leaning politics, research finds

The social-media giant has found tweets from parties on the political right are "amplified" more.

www.bbc.co.uk

Since the takeover, the right-wing domination has accelerated.

"Elon Musk’s X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, has become more popular with conservative users and those who identify with the political right since Musk’s takeover in late 2022, according to a new Pew Research Center report."

Elon Musk Has Made X More Right-Leaning, Pew Study Shows - Bloomberg

The content has also become increasingly right-wing.

"under Elon Musk, Twitter has evolved into a platform that is indistinguishable from the wastelands of alternative social-media sites such as Truth Social and Parler. It is now a right-wing social network."

Twitter Is a Far-Right Social Network

It can no longer be denied.

www.theatlantic.com

To pretend there is an equivalent left and right wing bias on Twitter is like Trump defending violent white supremacists at Charlottesville by saying there were "very fine people, on both sides".

 

[Frank Underwood]

"Right wing" is often used as a pejorative against anybody that criticizes the establishment. People who criticize Dems from a leftist perspective are disingenuously called right wing, so the term has lost its potency. It's similar to terms like racist, sexist, Putin puppet, and so on. It's equally ridiculous that pro-Israel Dems are now considered "left wing."

I also know what I see on my own timeline, so there's no need to "pretend." Everyone's anecdotal experience is going to be different based on who they follow. As I said before, I see the same feud between MAGA and the "blue no matter who" crowd that I saw before Musk's takeover. The Twitter files also revealed how Musk's predecessors waged a censorship campaign at the behest of the Dems, so the biases are indeed comparable. Republicans also put in censorship requests, but Musk's predecessors favored the Dems.

I am by no means a fan of Musk, but as I said before, all big tech ideologues amplify their point of view. That said, the faux left is still quite vocal on X from what I've seen.

 

[Angela Channing]

"Right wing" is often used as a pejorative against anybody that criticizes the establishment.

It really isn't. Right-wing means Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Nationalists and on the far right of that grouping it means fascists. The establishment can be left wing, as it would be in Cuba for example, but no one would call the Cuban government right-wing.

People who criticize Dems from a left perspective are disingenuously called right wing, so the term has lost its potency. It's similar to terms like racist, sexist, Putin puppet, and so on. It's even more silly knowing that pro-Israel Dems are considered "left wing."

Respectfully, I think this is nonsense and a lame way to try to dismiss research that found that Twitter to be right-wing social network. For example, Bernie Saunders has criticised the "establishment" Democratic Party from the left but no credible person would call him "right-wing".

I also know what I see on my own timeline, so there's no need to "pretend." Everyone's anecdotal experience is going to be different based on who they follow. As I said before, I see the same feud between MAGA and the "blue no matter who" crowd that I see before Musk's takeover. The Twitter files also revealed how Musk's predecessors waged a censorship campaign at the behest of the Dems, so the biases are indeed comparable. Republicans also put in censorship requests, but Musk's predecessors favored the Dems.

I don't think I follow any right-wing politicians, journalists and commentators but Twitter constantly pushes loads of right-wing content on my timeline. It has nothing to do with who I follow and everything to do with Twitter wanting to promote right-wing content since apartheid baby Musk and Putin took it over. It's not just what I feel, it's what the research shows.

 

[Frank Underwood]

It really isn't. Right-wing means Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Nationalists and on the far right of that grouping it means fascists. The establishment can be left wing, as it would be in Cuba for example, but no one would call the Cuban government right-wing.


Respectfully, I think this is nonsense and a lame way to try to dismiss research that found that Twitter to be right-wing social network. For example, Bernie Saunders has criticised the "establishment" Democratic Party from the left but no credible person would call him "right-wing".

It really is. I know what right-wing "means," that's why I said it's often used disingenuously. I don't know the criteria behind this research or how it was conducted.

IMO, what's "lame" and "nonsense" is dismissing the way neoliberals are redefining terms and weaponizing them against their critics.

I don't think I follow any right-wing politicians, journalists and commentators but Twitter constantly pushes loads of right-wing content on my timeline. It has nothing to do with who I follow and everything to do with Twitter wanting to promote right-wing content since apartheid baby Musk and Putin took it over. It's not just what I feel, it's what the research shows.

Even if that's your experience, is it that hard to ignore? I see partisan garbage on a daily basis, but I tune it out and only engage with the specific people I'm interested in.

I've always thought social media sites should be regulated as a public utility to ensure they're unbiased. However, considering Harris and Walz believe the government should be the arbiters of "acceptable" speech, even that's not a safeguard. IMO, the government shouldn't treat the first amendment like a mere suggestion. I don't believe social media should amplify a particular partisan viewpoint, but I also don't want the government to "protect" me from speech they find unacceptable. Sadly, everyone has an agenda.

 

[Frank Underwood]

Mark Zuckerberg of Meta/Facebook revealed this week that the Biden Administration pressured him to censor content, including satire.

Similarly, I've posted about the Twitter files in this thread and how they revealed that the Biden Administration used the same tactic on Musk's predecessors.

Trump made similar censorship requests when he was president, but that was before Musk's takeover. And as the Twitter files revealed, the previous execs had a liberal bias.

It goes to show that big tech biases are not limited to one particular ideology. To pretend there isn't an equivalent left and right wing bias on social media is to ignore reality.

Big tech giants are also not above hypocrisy, as Musk has demonstrated. He censors and amplifies various people at will too, but people who pretend that Twitter has only been corrupted by his right-wing bias are completely misguided. It's quite clear that the previous Twitter execs were also guided by their ideology, as this 2023 article demonstrates:

A Former Twitter Executive's Selective Concern About 'Social Media Coercion (reason.com)

 

[Frank Underwood]

Here's the article discussing Zuckerberg's claims. He says the Biden Administration "expressed a lot of frustration" when Meta declined some of their censorship requests.

He also called pressure from the government "wrong," adding "Meta made decisions that they would not make today with the benefit of hindsight and new information.” Zuckerberg also said his goal is to remain neutral and doesn't want to appear to be taking sides. Lastly, he vowed to push back against any such requests in the future.

IMO, the government's attempts to influence social media platforms in order to subvert the first amendment is absolutely despicable.

Source: Mark Zuckerberg on Meta COVID content censorship: What to know (thehill.com)

 

[KayLloyd]

Since Musk took over Twitter the site has really deteriorated and hate speech is rampant. Musk himself likes to insert himself and his right wing views on my timeline which is now full of pro-Trump and anti-Kamala Harris propaganda which no doubt helps his Russian friends trying to create division in western democracies. There has been a explosion of racism, especially Islamophobia, allowed because Musk claims it's free speech. It seems you can take Musk out of apartheid but you can't take apartheid out of Musk.

No, free speech is back and censorship is over since Musk took over Twitter. Zuckerberg sees the writing on the wall and has finally admitted that he regrets that he caved to censorship pressure from the Biden-Harris administration. And then there's the decade of communist .indoctrination of students that Waltz did in China.

 

[Frank Underwood]

I'm no fan of Zuckerberg or the prior Twitter regime's censorship efforts at the behest of the Biden Administration, but Musk hasn't been consistent on his free speech pledge:

Elon Musk Promised Free Speech on Twitter. He's Betrayed It Again and Again | Opinion - Newsweek

That said, my Twitter/X timeline isn't an exclusively right-wing echo chamber like some claim it is for them. I still see just as much pro-Dem/anti-Trump content as before.