Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

text.npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

451–460 of 889 posts

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#451

Post by TravHatesMe »

calinet6 wrote: post #431
motohagiography wrote: post #422

This is how the internet is supposed to work. Encounters damage, routes around it. Censorship is damage, and people are routing around it. As someone who never engaged with FB/Twitter from the beginning because I thought they were terrible ideas (all the rules, risks, and challenges of elite-level competition with none of the benefits), I was very glad to read this because this kind of divergence is precisely what cr…

I see it as the opposite: this may be how a technical network is supposed to work, but it's not how a society is supposed to work. The internet has created the ability for any given subculture to discover instant validation and reinforce their beliefs into a tribe, which further solidifies and extremifies those beliefs. It's a psychological power almost equivalent to a nuclear reaction: beliefs and ideas that might h…

Well said! Makes me think about the scope of tribalism before the internet. Without a doubt there was some, perhaps to a lesser degree though? I think certain views/opinions were more privately kept, perhaps shared with family members and close friends but very rarely shared with people outside their inner circle -- everything you said had your name attached to it and thus carried risks. I suppose you could write newspaper columns under a pseudonym, maybe mask your voice/face on radio or TV, but that was likely the most anonymous you could be. The internet is more or less anonymous by default. Should users be allowed to hide behind anonymity? I have to say yes because otherwise it just feels like 1984.

I think that it's possible to minimize tribalism by enabling civil discussion that shares many perspectives, with all hostility removed (and perhaps minimal emotions), and most importantly, let the audience form their own opinions. I really think that technology can solve this. Like all ideas, success is entirely dependent on implementation.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#452

Post by mjfl »

calinet6 wrote: post #431
motohagiography wrote: post #422

This is how the internet is supposed to work. Encounters damage, routes around it. Censorship is damage, and people are routing around it. As someone who never engaged with FB/Twitter from the beginning because I thought they were terrible ideas (all the rules, risks, and challenges of elite-level competition with none of the benefits), I was very glad to read this because this kind of divergence is precisely what cr…

I see it as the opposite: this may be how a technical network is supposed to work, but it's not how a society is supposed to work. The internet has created the ability for any given subculture to discover instant validation and reinforce their beliefs into a tribe, which further solidifies and extremifies those beliefs. It's a psychological power almost equivalent to a nuclear reaction: beliefs and ideas that might h…

So what you are recommending is that we prevent people from escaping censorship - is that right?

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#453

Post by motohagiography »

SmokeyHamster wrote: post #428
motohagiography wrote: post #422

This is how the internet is supposed to work. Encounters damage, routes around it. Censorship is damage, and people are routing around it. As someone who never engaged with FB/Twitter from the beginning because I thought they were terrible ideas (all the rules, risks, and challenges of elite-level competition with none of the benefits), I was very glad to read this because this kind of divergence is precisely what cr…

I mostly agree. However, it'll be interesting to see how well new competitors can fair in an industry like social media where the product (i.e. us) is already near monopolized on a few large platforms. Personally, I like Parler's interface, and don't mind that it's kind of a conservative bent, but I've heard from other conservatives that the interface isn't as good as Twitters. And it's smaller audience is already ke…

Those personalities you mention (Shapiro, Adams, etc) are artifacts of the prior platforms. It's meaningless if not better that they do not move. What makes this exciting is new characters and economics will emerge.

Former British PM Tony Blair once related an anecdote about why he decided to run for the leadership, when Labour had just lost hard in an election and he heard their campaign lead rant, "I can't believe it, the people voted against us...what's wrong with them?" And that is how he saw his opportunity.

Between this cultural shift, tons of idle cash sitting on balance sheet sidelines looking for productive assets and growth, and a winter of semi-lockdowns ahead of us with nothing to do but code, next summer is going to be the most epic year for startups since '96-97. That is, assuming civilization isn't wiped out, but I'm pretty well hedged.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#454

Post by tim333 »

Bedgeseb wrote: post #418
tim333 wrote: post #341

It's a bit like they're making a fantasy second reality where stuff like >All of the mechanical “glitches” that took place on Election Night were really THEM getting caught trying to steal votes. They succeeded plenty, however, without getting caught. Mail-in elections are a sick joke! is true. (recent presidential tweet). Not quite sure what the endgame is.

Neither side is being factual or unbiased. There are now two realities as a result.

Maybe but the 'mainstream media' seems to have some connection to physical reality.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#455

Post by Kye »

calinet6 wrote: post #431
motohagiography wrote: post #422

This is how the internet is supposed to work. Encounters damage, routes around it. Censorship is damage, and people are routing around it. As someone who never engaged with FB/Twitter from the beginning because I thought they were terrible ideas (all the rules, risks, and challenges of elite-level competition with none of the benefits), I was very glad to read this because this kind of divergence is precisely what cr…

I see it as the opposite: this may be how a technical network is supposed to work, but it's not how a society is supposed to work. The internet has created the ability for any given subculture to discover instant validation and reinforce their beliefs into a tribe, which further solidifies and extremifies those beliefs. It's a psychological power almost equivalent to a nuclear reaction: beliefs and ideas that might h…

It's disturbing to think the socio-technological phenomenon that let my fun, happy community grow to multiple 10k+ person conventions and hundreds of smaller ones worldwide also gave actual Nazis and various schools of white supremacy a new life.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#457

Post by Armisael16 »

mjfl wrote: post #452
calinet6 wrote: post #431

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see it as the opposite: this may be how a technical network is supposed to work, but it's not how a society is supposed to work. The internet has created the ability for any given subculture to discover instant validation and reinforce their beliefs into a tribe, which further solidifies and extremifies those beliefs. It's a psychological power almost equivalent to a nuclear reaction: beliefs and ideas that might h…

So what you are recommending is that we prevent people from escaping censorship - is that right?

The last two sentences say that censorship is not a functional solution to the problem and that we need to find something better, so I’d say very definitely no.

I’m not the person you responded to, of course, but I don’t see how you could’ve read their post and thought they were advocating for inescapable censorship.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#458

Post by ajvs »

BlueTemplar wrote: post #358

So, why Parler and not Mastodon ? Did Mastodon present itself as too 'left-wing' ?

Most Mastodon instances blocked Gab trying to federate with them so there's little benefit at this stage trying to link with the fediverse.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#459

Post by tcbawo »

giantDinosaur wrote: post #260
tcbawo wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I was comparing the amplification of social media with the concept of yelling in a theater.

You mean falsely, otherwise your 'clear and present danger' part doesn't make sense - the entire point historically with your example is that it is perfectly acceptable to yell in the theatre if there is clear and present danger. Reducing it to simply 'yelling in a theatre' means you're evaluating it just on.. yelling alone? What? Are you saying all 'social media amplification' is the same?

The danger in 'clear and present danger' of yelling in the crowded theater is specifically and intentionally causing panic where people are likely to get hurt. As others have mentioned, though, it's complicated. The original poster was suggesting we need new laws targeting the amplification of social media, which could limit false and damaging speech. My suggestion is that existing speech, slander, and libel laws apply. The 'amplification' of social media gives individual voices more reach and clout, similar to yelling. Social etiquette, law enforcement, and the judicial system have yet to adapt.

Re: Conservatives flock to Parler, claiming censorship on Facebook and Twitter

#460

Post by mjfl »

Armisael16 wrote: post #457
mjfl wrote: post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what you are recommending is that we prevent people from escaping censorship - is that right?

The last two sentences say that censorship is not a functional solution to the problem and that we need to find something better, so I’d say very definitely no. I’m not the person you responded to, of course, but I don’t see how you could’ve read their post and thought they were advocating for inescapable censorship.

"people are finding ways around it" was his main gripe with censorship.
Post reply on HN