4 ms·

I'll take the other side of this. While there certainly are examples of click bait and inflammatory BS on Twitter, there is also an element of legitimate though

I'll take the other side of this. While there certainly are examples of click bait and inflammatory BS on Twitter, there is also an element of legitimate thought leadership that can go viral in a way you just don't have on any other social media platform. There are few other platforms I can think of where someone with deep expertise on any subject can publish interesting, informed takes on their field- On a platform where the barrier to entry to publish is near-zero, provided with a random chance to go viral. When I used Twitter, seeking out and following these kinds of experts actually made the experience of Twitter a rich and informative platform- albeit one where you constantly needed to "weed the garden". The problem of course is that was a thin layer of wheat in a big bucket of chaff- but there is a better answer to "best alternative to twitter is no twitter": The best alternative to Twitter is one that can maximize virality for expert opinions; incentivizing other users to write engaging, structured opinions. Try to build a system where the best way to engagement farm is to show real thought leadership.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
stubybubs 4y ago
Well, here we are seemingly near the end of the thing, and I'm not sure it's worth the risk. Twitter was really good at getting people to write, letting them know that others are interested in their area of research or expertise, and I hope they continue to do that. But the awfulness of the propaganda just doesn't seem like it's worth it. Aside from the format being the message (ideas devoid of nuance) I think the incentives are all wrong. Twitter is grade school. You don't "win" by being right, you get that be being funny, sarcastic, a little cruel, and getting lots of likes. I'd like to see a return to a platform at a slightly elevated level. Asking for it to be like a university discussion group is maybe a little bit too much, but how about like, the last year of high school, when all the drama has died down and you've all pretty much agreed to be friends? I feel like that's the time when people start listening to reasoned arguments over name calling. I don't know what that platform looks like, and it's almost sure to be less viral that Twitter. But if that last 3 years have taught me anything it's that fast-moving viruses are bad. I think we should slow down.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

stubybubs 4y ago

Well, here we are seemingly near the end of the thing, and I'm not sure it's worth the risk. Twitter was really good at getting people to write, letting them know that others are interested in their area of research or expertise, and I hope they continue to do that. But the awfulness of the propaganda just doesn't seem like it's worth it. Aside from the format being the message (ideas devoid of nuance) I think the incentives are all wrong. Twitter is grade school. You don't "win" by being right, you get that be being funny, sarcastic, a little cruel, and getting lots of likes. I'd like to see a return to a platform at a slightly elevated level. Asking for it to be like a university discussion group is maybe a little bit too much, but how about like, the last year of high school, when all the drama has died down and you've all pretty much agreed to be friends? I feel like that's the time when people start listening to reasoned arguments over name calling. I don't know what that platform looks like, and it's almost sure to be less viral that Twitter. But if that last 3 years have taught me anything it's that fast-moving viruses are bad. I think we should slow down.