4 ms·
As you said in your previous, > Twitter is a void and trying to fill that void with another one isn't the answer. You are 100% spot on something here, somethi
by MonkeyClub 4y ago
As you said in your previous,
> Twitter is a void and trying to fill that void with another one isn't the answer.
You are 100% spot on something here, something that's well known but usually goes undiscussed.
As madeofpalk said,
> Sometimes i just want to take a break from 110% productivity and have some idle, mindless chatter.
That's true - so do I (although I usually opt for a chat with a friend, or for some mindless RealRacing).
But for the majority of Twitterheads, Twitter has become synonymous with the public square, with results that verge on (or fully reach) the toxic.
Here, I'm thinking of Sam Vaknin's position on the question of toxicity:
Pt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmXcjvL9VSc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmXcjvL9VSc
Pt. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38W8glySGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38W8glySGw
Now, one may say that Vaknin isn't important, or that he's too self-important, or whatever. But his analysis (and he's not unique on that) concludes that such social media platforms have a corrosive effect on the individual and on society.
If nothing else, it's a system that essentially echo chambers you, and preys on vulnerabilities in the standard human psychological make up to maximize profit.
Not to mention that it's a private platform, and very specifically not a 21st century version of the agora/public forum.
I think that on principle private enterprises shouldn't be permitted to usurp the public sphere.
- asim 4y agoAs I read your last point all I can think is, no one owns the earth, why should private companies own the digital space. It's frustrating when you can see the problem but not offer a solution. Mostly because the ideas are many but to execute is a multi decade endeavour. Not to get too serious but we're effectively talking about a problem that effects humanity and we now have a clown running the show. Elon is doing great things with his other companies and maybe he even finds a way to fix Twitter but it doesn't feel like he doesn't it with any sort of grace or humility, it doesn't feel like he shares the problems of humanity given his wealth and status. The disconnect makes it hard to trust him or root for him especially when it's at the expense of others as we can see by his public trolling on twitter. That's right, yes he's a troll. With over 100M followers...
- asim 4y agoThe irony is the fact that I have the time to write this highlights the dangers of idleness.
- turtleyacht 4y agoThanks for writing it, though. Maybe our brains need idle time between intense bouts of thought and flow. And if that bit of writing doesn't contribute to, say, a certain 50k novel challenge for the month, well--now it's really wasted! Let's go create something today. Or nothing. It's totally up to us.
- MonkeyClub 4y agoHey, shoot the breeze, idleness deserves praise! (https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/ https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/) > we now have a clown running the show Nah not a clown, not even a Watchmen-esque Comedian. If anything, he's a very conscious agent of (Capital-C!) Chaos, like the Joker. Or, again, just another CIA puppet, who knows - dot dot dot :)