3 ms·

I still follow Twitter a bit because it is a better source for local news than the cesspool that is Nextdoor. Over the past two months or so I haven't seen a si

by mike_d 3y ago

I still follow Twitter a bit because it is a better source for local news than the cesspool that is Nextdoor. Over the past two months or so I haven't seen a single big brand advertiser. A quick scroll right now: ads for a shirt that hides belly fat, a dating site for unvaccinated people, a "natures dongs" 2024 calendar, a website that may or may not sell ketamine, and a few knockoff "mindfullness" and sleep aid apps. Twitter is the new cable channels after midnight advertising where you randomly run an ad for a food chopping device and see how many insomniacs call and order it.

majewsky 3y ago
I'm in Germany, and my Twitter account still technically exists. (I have wiped the history and log into it once a week to retain the username that I wrote on talks etc. for over a decade.) I had a look around the "For You" feed to compare: I got ads for Babbel (the language learning app), a company that etches images into glass cubes as a souvenir, a bank selling personal credits at dubiously low interest rates, a "ChatGPT prompting cheat sheet", and a travel ad for Abu Dhabi. Not quite the cesspool you describe, but still, a significant change from what I remember when I used Twitter actively. It used to be mostly big-name brands, both international and national ones.
crote 3y ago
Yup. I never used Twitter as social media, but it was a decent source for local news. The format just works really well for short-form realtime updates. No bullshit, just a "tanker exploded, keep windows closed" from the fire department, and some dude who happened to be passing by sharing pics of it.
vogt 3y ago
Heh, that sounds _exactly_ like my feed as well. There also is a calendar of dogs pooping that I've gotten about a hundred times. Seeking Arrangements also showing me tons of ads despite the fact that I make it no secret that I'm happily married on twitter, which is funny too. Design twitter is still very hot which is why I recently rejoined, to connect with more folks in my industry. But the ads(and bots) definitely seem like a much worse problem than when I had an account in 2016.

by mike_d 3y ago

majewsky 3y ago

I'm in Germany, and my Twitter account still technically exists. (I have wiped the history and log into it once a week to retain the username that I wrote on talks etc. for over a decade.) I had a look around the "For You" feed to compare: I got ads for Babbel (the language learning app), a company that etches images into glass cubes as a souvenir, a bank selling personal credits at dubiously low interest rates, a "ChatGPT prompting cheat sheet", and a travel ad for Abu Dhabi. Not quite the cesspool you describe, but still, a significant change from what I remember when I used Twitter actively. It used to be mostly big-name brands, both international and national ones.

crote 3y ago

Yup. I never used Twitter as social media, but it was a decent source for local news. The format just works really well for short-form realtime updates. No bullshit, just a "tanker exploded, keep windows closed" from the fire department, and some dude who happened to be passing by sharing pics of it.

vogt 3y ago

Heh, that sounds _exactly_ like my feed as well. There also is a calendar of dogs pooping that I've gotten about a hundred times. Seeking Arrangements also showing me tons of ads despite the fact that I make it no secret that I'm happily married on twitter, which is funny too. Design twitter is still very hot which is why I recently rejoined, to connect with more folks in my industry. But the ads(and bots) definitely seem like a much worse problem than when I had an account in 2016.