Live data from Hacker News

On Using Twitter

medium.com

141–150 of 150 posts

Re: On Using Twitter

#141

I have an honest question for Twitter users of HN: what's the net positive value of Twitter to your life? It feels like using Twitter or not has been an uninterrupted argument for years, even on HN, as if on one end your rational brain knows Twitter is detrimental to your mental health, but on the other end: it's a great dopamine, and outrage dispenser.

* Amazing insight into the way people work.

* Novel ideas.

* Insight into how VCs think.

* Access to people.

Honestly, I really enjoy John Carmack's feed. He was a childhood hero of mine and it's great to read his stuff.

Re: On Using Twitter

#142

Earlier I used to follow all sorts of famous twitter accounts and had joined all sorts of (ugly debate). I really liked Twitter in comparison to FB in the sense that it introduced me people of millions types from all over the world. On FB, everyone was already known to me so there was no novelty in what I was browsing. However, later on I realized that Twitter is actually a "outrage generating machine". Everyone is o…

> Later on I unfollowed 90% accounts and stuck to those accounts which strictly tweets only about programming, math, history and other such stuffs in robotic manner (I.e. without any hidden agenda or connotations). I unfollowed everyone who have even a slightest chance of tweeting about politics. Also I stopped tweeting and replying to anybody. This is the best way to use Twitter, especially your decision to not post…

It’s funny. IMO Hacker News which I only recently discovered is what I was looking for in twitter. Now I’m completely off twitter and with HN I get all the neat computer news that I crave. Also I like that for the most part, people keep the discussion civil and constructive when discussing things over which there may be disagreement.

Re: On Using Twitter

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twitter has a machine learning algorithm that actively steers people towards political/controversial content. If you choose to see tweets "recent first" to avoid this, Twitter will accidentally-on-purpose 'forget' this every few days, and return you to the AI-generated anger maximization feed. That's blatantly user-hostile behavior that wasn't present on Usenet or IRC.

If you use a 3rd-party app you can view in chronological order and it will stick.

There’s also this:

FREE and natively supported and part of Twitter domain itself, on my feed?!

https://tweetdeck.twitter.com

Re: On Using Twitter

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twitter has a machine learning algorithm that actively steers people towards political/controversial content. If you choose to see tweets "recent first" to avoid this, Twitter will accidentally-on-purpose 'forget' this every few days, and return you to the AI-generated anger maximization feed. That's blatantly user-hostile behavior that wasn't present on Usenet or IRC.

You can bypass all of this and turn Twitter into a useful newsfeed: https://lee-phillips.org/howtotwitter/

I feel like they’re burying the lede, so here it is:

https://tweetdeck.twitter.com

Re: On Using Twitter

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learned this in the early 90s on BBSes, MUDs, Usenet, and forums, before I even discovered the Web. Everything old is new again. Twitter is fine. It’s people who suck. Exercise your own restraint and freedom to associate. Externalizing blame is to throw up your hands and to join all the other naysayers in yelling at clouds.

Twitter has a machine learning algorithm that actively steers people towards political/controversial content. If you choose to see tweets "recent first" to avoid this, Twitter will accidentally-on-purpose 'forget' this every few days, and return you to the AI-generated anger maximization feed. That's blatantly user-hostile behavior that wasn't present on Usenet or IRC.

Try this combined with lists to get chronological feeds that stick and stay stuck.

https://tweetdeck.twitter.com

As for the rest of your comment, the personal is political. Twitter is personal. HN, for example, is much more of a water cooler type beat.

Re: On Using Twitter

#146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Later on I unfollowed 90% accounts and stuck to those accounts which strictly tweets only about programming, math, history and other such stuffs in robotic manner (I.e. without any hidden agenda or connotations). I unfollowed everyone who have even a slightest chance of tweeting about politics. Also I stopped tweeting and replying to anybody. I bet you still see politics trending every day in the "Whats Happening"…

Honestly, the real danger on the Internet isn't ads. It's these little attention boxes. I block this. I block the stackexchange questions. I block everything. Otherwise I click everything,.

Check RSS'. I use sfeed + sfeed_curses, and Dillo as a browser. No ads, no alerts, no crap.

Also, check gopher too. You can check out HN thru gopher://hngopher.com and avoid commenting, just lurking out the post and the comments. Use lynx, or better, sacc. That way youl'll avoid all the attention traps.

Re: On Using Twitter

#147
post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>You could post under different topics so people could read my programming or local posts without having to cope with my religious or political posts (just examples, I never got around to the two last ones I think). I don't think that would work thesedays. If you had a political post, I'd say you'd correctly keep it in its correct circle (based on you highlighting the feature here), but since Google+ was a thing, a n…

Then you unfollow them.

Which is fine. But my point wasn't so much in search of a solution, rather the fact that circles in itself likely wouldn't be a solution with the impact for which it was designed.

Re: On Using Twitter

#148
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the best place I know to follow specific creators/artists. I'm interested in the work of a select group of pixel artists, game creators, and 3D modelers, I haven't found a best place to see what they are doing. Other platforms would let me follow a "pixel art" group/subreddit/tag but that's not what I want, I'm looking for the content created by some specific people, not the general topic. But it's the worst pla…

> It's the best place I know to follow specific creators/artists. I'm interested in the work of a select group of pixel artists, game creators, and 3D modelers, I haven't found a best place to see what they are doing. Other platforms would let me follow a "pixel art" group/subreddit/tag but that's not what I want, I'm looking for the content created by some specific people, not the general topic. Many of these artist…

Yes, that's maybe the case. I haven't tried Instagram for that purpose.

Re: On Using Twitter

#149

I have a Twitter account. I think I've logged into it on average about once every year for all of 5 minutes. It's actually surprising to me how much engagement I have on Twitter, I guess people find me organically because I gave a talk at a conference or something. I usually have quite a few mentions from months before when I check it. Nonetheless, I thought Twitter was doomed to create terrible outcomes from the mom…

> I would much rather interact with people on IRC Which servers do you prefer?

Most of the networks I used to hang out on no longer exist, but I am still primarily on Rizon. I can be found on some other smaller specialty networks as well. I will eventually make the effort to set Matrix up again to see if it's gotten better because at least one of the networks I used to hang on has been revived on Matrix.

Re: On Using Twitter

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I would much rather interact with people on IRC Which servers do you prefer?

Most of the networks I used to hang out on no longer exist, but I am still primarily on Rizon. I can be found on some other smaller specialty networks as well. I will eventually make the effort to set Matrix up again to see if it's gotten better because at least one of the networks I used to hang on has been revived on Matrix.

> some other smaller specialty networks as well

Like what?

Post reply on HN