The new silent majority: People who don't tweet

Post by zachwill » Wed, Mar 09, 2022, 4:07 AM UTC

vorpalhex wrote: post #146

toastercat wrote: post #71

I tried being a Twitter user for a bit last year, mostly because a lot of engineers I admire use it to communicate about interesting topics and also their work. But after a while, I realized even they will pollute my feed with politically divisive topics, whether it be from them retweeting something, or liking a tweet, or even entering into the fray themselves -- Twitter will find a way to get me to see it. For a whi…

One of my pet theories for why social media is such a cesspool is that it exposes us to the whole of someone else. If I play boardgames with Sue, that's enough. We meet, enjoy a beer and play some Catan and go our separate ways. That's a fine relationship. If I follow Sue on social media, now I know her politics, religion, sex life, drug usage, opinions on every little thing.. and frankly, I don't care or want to. I'…

Post by throwaway0x7E6 » Wed, Mar 09, 2022, 4:10 AM UTC

HWR_14 wrote: post #581

vorpalhex wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my pet theories for why social media is such a cesspool is that it exposes us to the whole of someone else. If I play boardgames with Sue, that's enough. We meet, enjoy a beer and play some Catan and go our separate ways. That's a fine relationship. If I follow Sue on social media, now I know her politics, religion, sex life, drug usage, opinions on every little thing.. and frankly, I don't care or want to. I'…

> Humanity either needs to "agree to disagree" on wide swaths of things we care a whole bunch about (abortion, firearms, lgbtq, etc) or we need to go back to not discussing those things in public or polite company. Two out of three of those aren't just random positions. If you believe someone else is literally advocating for murdering children, I can see why you would judge them. Similarly, if you see people oppressi…

Post by alexmingoia » Wed, Mar 09, 2022, 4:14 AM UTC

iambateman wrote: post #246

The problem with Twitter is simple. If someone agrees with a post, they “like” it. If someone disagrees, they tweet in response. This was the ONLY option until a few weeks ago with the rollout of the downvote button, so we will see if downvoting changes this dynamic. Suppose a tweet gets 90 likes, and 10 negative responses. That’s 90% positive response. But if someone clicks on the tweet, they’ll see the one original…

Post by throwaway5848 » Wed, Mar 09, 2022, 4:24 AM UTC

jameskilton wrote: post #12

"Never pass up a chance to keep your mouth shut" Words my Dad taught me as I was growing up, but only really sank in the last 5 or so years ago.

Post by dillondoyle » Wed, Mar 09, 2022, 4:28 AM UTC

slibhb wrote: post #586

dillondoyle wrote: post #579

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's blurry. Morals and values are very much at the heart of politics. It's what drives engagement & wins votes. One side views abortion as a moral sin. The other thinks that access to healthcare is a value and have a moral obligation to fight for the rights of women. There are a bunch of issues like that. For me right now my LGBTQ community is being used by Republicans as an election issue. An example where…

> One side views abortion as a moral sin. The other thinks that access to healthcare is a value and have a moral obligation to fight for the rights of women. How about all the people who view abortion as a sin but think it should be legal anyway? You know, like Joe Biden and every other liberal Catholic. You're just spitting out talking points.