The Media/Journalism Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

This morning I read that the Holocaust Memorial Twitter page said they’ve lost 35,000 followers in one day. They didn’t mention any reasons, just astonishment.  It would be my guess that this was loss of followers due to deactivated accounts.

It’s unlikely that I will be posting much embedded tweets, but this one seemed especially pertinent.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

OTOH, Ron DeSantis seems to have acquired 92,500 followers over the same period, according to social media analysts who are examining the possible root of this sudden rise in followers.

[Khan]

I'd love to say goodbye to FB, too.  However, that's how I keep up with everyone I went to high school with.  Beats the hell out of attending our class reunions, lol.

I guess it's possible that right-wingers feel safe to join or return to Twitter now?  Of course, that's presuming those 92,500 followers aren't bots themselves.

I really can't fathom the impact this takeover will have on the Internet.  We've been saying all along that Twitter doesn't represent the majority; yet, it's hard to deny that social media companies in general, and that Twitter in particular, have had a tremendous impact on our culture.  What happens if/when Twitter "goes away," or loses its' relevance?  Do we go back to chat rooms or something, lol?

Man, the world just keeps getting smaller everyday.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Khan

[DramatistDreamer]

The DeSantis followers are most likely bots. The analyst said as much, without being explicit about it. If this deal does in fact go through (by October as has been hinted) as predicted, I think Musk doesn’t have a clue what he’s in for.

Susan Collins is already advocating for Trump to be allowed back onto the platform. Prepare for the possibility of Twitter to turn cesspool later in the year, if not sooner.

Having never joined MySpace or Facebook, I would be perfectly fine if Twitter went away tomorrow. I would probably be more focused on actual writing and other creative work. 

Sometimes it feels almost like I’m overstimulated, so I wouldn’t have to even think about resisting the urge to check Twitter for the endless flood of tripe that usually ends up somehow seeping into my timeline.

I’d get over it.

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[Wendy]

How long does it take for the freaking Twitter data to be ready for download? I put in for the request days ago. I REALLY just want the data so I can deactivate for good. Because I just know Twitter will be a cesspool come fall.

[DramatistDreamer]

They’re probably be backed up with all the requests. I have two accounts and I got a link to the download for one of my archives (which was 3 GB!!) and am still waiting on the other and I made both requests in the same day. Verification of my primary account was probably an issue because I had briefly changed my Twitter handle before changing it back.

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I have decided not to rush. I am hearing that Musk may have already violated SEC rules. They may ignore it and facilitate the deal anyway but October would be the projected date for the sale to go through so I believe we have some time.

I understand that you’re anxious though. Keep in mind too, that, depending on how often you tweet, you may need to make sure you have a few GB to spare and depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take some time to download. For now, I am storing mine in the Cloud but I plan to move or copy to an external drive.

[janea4old]

I notice that some on twitter are considering doing instagram instead.  Instagram is owned by facebook, so that's a "no" for me.

[Khan]

Let's just say Tik Tok is about to head into the stratosphere, lol.

[Vee]

Or he may back out, as he often does on big claims.

[DramatistDreamer]

I lasted on Instagram for a few weeks before I decided to terminate my account. I didn’t care for it.

Could we possibly be that fortunate?

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I hope so.

Musk is already throwing his weight around and causing Twitter employees to be harassed. 

[DRW50]

It's that time again - "progressives" and "common sense" figures dusting off pulling the same "why do you make them hit you?" card they did  with Trump a nd Joe Rogan.

 

[Wendy]

So I see on Twitter that ol' Elon is already harassing employees and accusing the lawyer for the company of being involved with fraud or something. So the sewage is already beginning.

The Twitter God must have heard my rant about the data because I got the download notice a minute ago. Downloading it as I type. Once it's done, so am I with Twitter, which both makes me relieved and yet sad that it has come to this. But when it heads into the toxic abyss and hopefully suffers the same fate as MySpace, at least I know I won't be there to be a part of it all.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Wendy

[Khan]

Pardon me if I seem too philosophical, but I guess everything in this universe has to end eventually, including Twitter.  But again, I ask, where do we go from here?

Edited April 28, 2022 by Khan

[DramatistDreamer]

Meta, the parent company of Facebook has just reported a 21% drop in profits. Ouch. I guess misinformation doesn’t pay what it used to. 

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[Khan]

Good for them, lol.  They, too, seemed to have forgotten that "free speech" does not mean allowing people to spread hate and misinformation that could potentially kill people.