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Quitting Twitter

blog.nindalf.com

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Re: Quitting Twitter

#281

Post by WorldMaker »

HappySweeney wrote: post #279
WorldMaker wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I think the rise of "follow-of-a-follow" "engagement" content and promoted tweets were where I heavily started to lose any impression at all that I could control/curate my Twitter timeline, and started to lose a lot of interest in Twitter altogether. (Algorithmic reshuffling of the "timeline" into something that wasn't purely time-based didn't help either, but seemed a modest symptom to the other two problems.)

There is a star in the upper right that lets you put the timeline back to chronological order. Note that after undoing it (I couldn't stand the constant inanity), your timeline will take some time (~ a couple of weeks) for things to return to normal.

I did that as soon as it was offered back as an option. As I said, that wasn't the problem on its own, that felt like more of a symptom of the bigger problem that Twitter decided it was all about engagement and decided they wanted to inject whatever they wanted where ever they wanted into a timeline. The last time I tried to scroll through my Twitter feed in scrolling through 25 items every (!) fifth one was a mostly toxic "engagement trolling" or clickbait Promoted tweet from someone that I would never follow.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#282

Post by WorldMaker »

tilolebo wrote: post #211
WorldMaker wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I think the rise of "follow-of-a-follow" "engagement" content and promoted tweets were where I heavily started to lose any impression at all that I could control/curate my Twitter timeline, and started to lose a lot of interest in Twitter altogether. (Algorithmic reshuffling of the "timeline" into something that wasn't purely time-based didn't help either, but seemed a modest symptom to the other two problems.)

Twitter lists are a good way to regain control of your timeline. Create lists and unfollow everyone. This way you only get the content you want.

I feel like I can't trust Twitter not to inject "engagement" content into the core timeline of their product, I don't see the trust in relying on a secondary feature that could be shelved or similarly injected. I'm happy scratching my "I was an early adopter Twitter user" junkie itch on Mastodon these days, where I know I'm in a lot more control than Twitter wants to give me due to business model alone.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#283

Post by chc »

randomsearch wrote: post #262
chc wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you tell it to. You can choose an algorithmic feed or a chronological feed. I don't know why anybody would choose the algorithmic feed, because you're right that it sucks, but there's also no pressure to do so.

As there's lots of confusion about this (I didn't downvote you btw) - it's untrue. First, it will switch you back to algorithmic feed at every opportunity. Second, it selectively show you likes and retweets from third parties you have nothing to do with. Third, it will show you topic based content (perhaps by remove all topics you can escape this, but it will try to add topics via dropping in links everywhere). Even…

Do you use Twitter much? Some of those were actual issues that arose when the algorithmic feed was first introduced, but none of that is the case anymore and hasn't been for at least at year and probably more. I can't remember the last time I was switched back to the algorithmic feed. The chronological feed categorically does not show you likes, and only shows retweets from people you follow. And the only replies that will appear on your timeline are when one person you follow replies to another person you follow.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#284

Post by liminal »

rubyist5eva wrote: post #217
liminal wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of stuff I want to know about that I don't know where else to find out about it, and much of this is outraging. For example, a lot of my Twitter feed is people pointing out how the Canadian media misrepresents events with a pro-conservative bias. Perhaps ignorance would be bliss, but I opt for a daily dose of poison to keep my tolerance up.

Have you ever thought that you think your perception of Canadian media is that way because Twitter is full of outraged leftists who think everything right of Marx is "far right propoganda"? Because as a Canadian that stays off of twitter because I find it toxic and not useful, I have to say when you wrote that Canadian media is pro-conservative I kinda laughed out loud a little.

Don't forget the moderate/centrist outrage with both the leftists and rightists.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#285

Post by airpoint »

If Twitter was a pub, it’d be the odd one where everyone gets pissed way too early, aggressive way too easily and at the of the day smash all the furniture for no good reason.

Never understood why would anyone want to hang out or even work there…

Re: Quitting Twitter

#286

Post by acd »

edmundhuber wrote: post #154
acd wrote: post #150

Considering quitting all social media. Twitter - Quit, Facebook - Quit, Whatsapp - Quit, Reddit - quit, LinkedIn - Under consideration. Freetime++ Focus++ Adtracking--

I quit everything but Reddit (which I pretty much only lurk in, and only do hobby talk) and LinkedIn (until I strike it rich, I still gotta have a job). It's been excellent since I no longer waste my time being angry about things I can't change, or seeking attention or approval. Obviously some people can cope with the demands of social media more than others, but it didn't work for me, and I think, like me, a lot of…

I think its an attention economy where companies try to get you hooked by slot machine rewards getting social approval from like buttons.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#287

Post by randomsearch »

chc wrote: post #283
randomsearch wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As there's lots of confusion about this (I didn't downvote you btw) - it's untrue. First, it will switch you back to algorithmic feed at every opportunity. Second, it selectively show you likes and retweets from third parties you have nothing to do with. Third, it will show you topic based content (perhaps by remove all topics you can escape this, but it will try to add topics via dropping in links everywhere). Even…

Do you use Twitter much? Some of those were actual issues that arose when the algorithmic feed was first introduced, but none of that is the case anymore and hasn't been for at least at year and probably more. I can't remember the last time I was switched back to the algorithmic feed. The chronological feed categorically does not show you likes, and only shows retweets from people you follow. And the only replies tha…

I've not been clear enough.

> only shows retweets from people you follow

yes, but only shows you _select_ retweets from people you follow. You don't control that. Anything in your timeline that is curated can be used to manipulate you. And those retweets and likes are enough. Just wait until you see a retweet or like and think "but that's wrong / I disagree / waat" and try to catch yourself - you've been shown it for a reason.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#288

Post by randomsearch »

randomsearch wrote: post #287
chc wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you use Twitter much? Some of those were actual issues that arose when the algorithmic feed was first introduced, but none of that is the case anymore and hasn't been for at least at year and probably more. I can't remember the last time I was switched back to the algorithmic feed. The chronological feed categorically does not show you likes, and only shows retweets from people you follow. And the only replies tha…

I've not been clear enough. > only shows retweets from people you follow yes, but only shows you _select_ retweets from people you follow. You don't control that. Anything in your timeline that is curated can be used to manipulate you. And those retweets and likes are enough. Just wait until you see a retweet or like and think "but that's wrong / I disagree / waat" and try to catch yourself - you've been shown it for…

just came across an example. I saw a retweet and thought "that's self-evidently false", started looking at the replies, and then decided to mute the original author... turned out it was someone I had already unfollowed, because they were tweeting nonsense. And the curation algorithm had deliberately shown me the most provocative tweet it could find from a person I'd unfollowed... Twitter is an unethical outrage machine.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#289

Post by randomsearch »

_qulr wrote: post #274
randomsearch wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think this is a technological problem. You could say it's a marketing problem. Yes I think we're talking at cross-purposes here. Perhaps App.net really was better, that's great - it means we know how to solve the problems of twitter (given I haven't heard exactly how it was better, that makes me sceptical). But I think what you mean is _replace_ twitter, which is not what I was getting at. That is not just…

> given I haven't heard exactly how it was better, that makes me sceptical ADN was a subscription service. The common expression is always true: if you're not the customer, you're the product.

> ADN was a subscription service. The common expression is always true: if you're not the customer, you're the product.

There's a false implication here that ADN was better than Twitter but failed only because Twitter's business model is worse but lucrative. I think that's really not true. If you could build a product that people liked more, even if you made less money you'd still win.

Re: Quitting Twitter

#290

Post by randomsearch »

_qulr wrote: post #120
randomsearch wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem I found with blocking and muting people is that twitter continues to show tweets from people I don’t follow - entirely in the hope of engaging me of course, which most of the time means trying to pull me into an argument.

> twitter continues to show tweets from people I don’t follow Are you using the reverse chronological timeline? That's the only way to fly.

I am, and it shows me tweets from people I don't follow. It cleverly uses the mechanism of "retweets" to show me them. It's only when you realise that _twitter only shows you selected retweets_ that you see the notion of retweeting is an excuse to show you tweets from people you don't follow.
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