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IMO those all provide a very particular, somewhat narrow perspective. I feel I can get a wider sense of what's going on from Twitter. As just one example, mains

by dilap 5y ago

IMO those all provide a very particular, somewhat narrow perspective. I feel I can get a wider sense of what's going on from Twitter. As just one example, mainstream sources were quite blase about the COVID pandemic until very late, while other (it turns out more accurate) perspectives were available on Twitter. (Edit: Well, w/ the partial exception of HN, of course!)

2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
Twitter is an odd duck. What does it mean to "use" Twitter? If I follow the posts of an actual NYT reporter who is tweeting an event they are at am I using NYT or am I using Twitter? This is different than following what's trending and getting into the muck with other faceless users which is I what I typically ascribe "using" Twitter to mean. As an aside- a benefit of just not using social media for news is that I miss out on a lot of things that almost always turn out to not be important. There is a higher threshold. I'm not succumbed by some hot issue or crisis for a day that is ultimately meaningless. Coworkers would often ask me my thoughts on an issue and I'd have no clue what they're talking about. It's liberating. Sometimes less is more.
- dilap 5y ago
  For me, using Twitter means following a bunch of strangers that seem knowledgable about various domains. Obviously, there are a gazillion possible ways to use it. :-) I feel I've learned useful things that I wouldn't know without it, and it's the second-best way I've found, after personal experience, to ascertain the "truth" about the world. (Blogs and substack and forums like HN are similar, but they don't have the same breadth and density.) Is it a good use of time? Who knows, hard to say. It's interesting, sometimes even addictive. I do agree that on an emotional level we should be most occupied with living the tangible, real lives in front of us, and not worry too much about history roiling by all around us.

by dilap 5y ago

2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago

Twitter is an odd duck. What does it mean to "use" Twitter? If I follow the posts of an actual NYT reporter who is tweeting an event they are at am I using NYT or am I using Twitter? This is different than following what's trending and getting into the muck with other faceless users which is I what I typically ascribe "using" Twitter to mean. As an aside- a benefit of just not using social media for news is that I miss out on a lot of things that almost always turn out to not be important. There is a higher threshold. I'm not succumbed by some hot issue or crisis for a day that is ultimately meaningless. Coworkers would often ask me my thoughts on an issue and I'd have no clue what they're talking about. It's liberating. Sometimes less is more.

dilap 5y ago
For me, using Twitter means following a bunch of strangers that seem knowledgable about various domains. Obviously, there are a gazillion possible ways to use it. :-) I feel I've learned useful things that I wouldn't know without it, and it's the second-best way I've found, after personal experience, to ascertain the "truth" about the world. (Blogs and substack and forums like HN are similar, but they don't have the same breadth and density.) Is it a good use of time? Who knows, hard to say. It's interesting, sometimes even addictive. I do agree that on an emotional level we should be most occupied with living the tangible, real lives in front of us, and not worry too much about history roiling by all around us.