Elon Musk now owns 9.2% of twitter...update.. will soon be the sole owner as Board of Directors accepts his purchase offer

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fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,767
54,805
136
I think the world would be a better place without any social media. The shit is a cancer that eats away at society.
I agree. I think it’s sad that for the last 20 years or so many of our best and brightest minds have dedicated their talents to dividing society and making people feel bad about themselves because they know conflict and sadness drive engagement and therefore, money.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
22,124
6,370
136
I agree. I think it’s sad that for the last 20 years or so many of our best and brightest minds have dedicated their talents to dividing society and making people feel bad about themselves because they know conflict and sadness drive engagement and therefore, money.
This is the second thing we've unilaterally agreed on, I think we should both be frightened, or join the UN.
 

Heartbreaker

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2006
5,057
6,626
136
Exactly. Twitter can moderate however it wants because it’s a private company.

That being said it has been absolutely hilarious to watch Musk light his fortune on fire purely because he was too stupid not to sign a contract obligating him to buy Twitter with no due diligence, then after spending months desperately trying to escape the deal realizing he was screwed.

He’s made Twitter worse because he didn’t understand what he was buying but hey, at least the dumpster fire is entertaining for now. The world never wanted a right wing Twitter and he’s slowly realizing this.

I fear Twitter is really tough to kill. Across multiple forums I note that Twitter seems to be the most popular link people use for posting new info (political, entertainment, sports, tech, etc...).

Eventually Musk could make it a going concern, with the terrible lesson that the way to run a tech company is to fire half the staff, and make the rest work double the hours.
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,060
24,368
136
Exactly. Twitter can moderate however it wants because it’s a private company.

That being said it has been absolutely hilarious to watch Musk light his fortune on fire purely because he was too stupid not to sign a contract obligating him to buy Twitter with no due diligence, then after spending months desperately trying to escape the deal realizing he was screwed.

He’s made Twitter worse because he didn’t understand what he was buying but hey, at least the dumpster fire is entertaining for now. The world never wanted a right wing Twitter and he’s slowly realizing this.

Why would you agree with the implication that Twitter was a left-wing thing? Because by Greenman saying the right wanted their own Twitter and now they got it, directly implies Twitter was a left-wing tool. That is completely false.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,767
54,805
136
Why would you agree with the implication that Twitter was a left-wing thing? Because by Greenman saying the right wanted their own Twitter and now they got it, directly implies Twitter was a left-wing tool. That is completely false.
I don’t agree with that implication. I also don’t think describing Twitter as right wing now means it was left wing before. If anything Twitter was extremely welcoming to right wing opinion, welcoming far beyond what its terms of service required. This is for the same reason that the rest of the media are welcoming to right wing people, because conservatives relentlessly work the refs and complain about being persecuted regardless of whether it’s true.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,767
54,805
136
I fear Twitter is really tough to kill. Across multiple forums I note that Twitter seems to be the most popular link people use for posting new info (political, entertainment, sports, tech, etc...).

Eventually Musk could make it a going concern, with the terrible lesson that the way to run a tech company is to fire half the staff, and make the rest work double the hours.
He might be able to, yes, but I personally doubt it. It wasn’t profitable even before their revenues tanked and before they had annual $1 billion in debt service.

He might be able to make it appear profitable by offloading liabilities and such onto other entities but those are accounting fictions. He massively overpaid and he knows it. That’s why he tried so hard to get out of the deal.
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
25,889
15,349
136
Don't worry, you don't have to say his name, we all know. He has gotten a bit better as of late.

But thats just stupid isnt it? If you're here engaging in good faith but your style is trash... should I shun you? Its *so* easy to just gloss over to the next post..... but no, let me cancel you instead. Well ok then.

It reminds me of someone who once told me not to refer to people as trash, cause trash is something you throw away and that is not something you do with other human beings.
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
15,076
9,950
136
I don’t agree with that implication. I also don’t think describing Twitter as right wing now means it was left wing before. If anything Twitter was extremely welcoming to right wing opinion, welcoming far beyond what its terms of service required. This is for the same reason that the rest of the media are welcoming to right wing people, because conservatives relentlessly work the refs and complain about being persecuted regardless of whether it’s true.

Also because the rest of the media tend to be owned by rich people with their own agenda, that very often overlaps with that of the right (though the seeming convergence of interest can also go horribly wrong).
 

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,613
11,255
136
But thats just stupid isnt it? If you're here engaging in good faith but your style is trash... should I shun you? Its *so* easy to just gloss over to the next post..... but no, let me cancel you instead. Well ok then.

It reminds me of someone who once told me not to refer to people as trash, cause trash is something you throw away and that is not something you do with other human beings.
I don't ignore him. I only have a few people on ignore. Mostly just the obvious trolls because I get baited into responding too much which just ends with me being frustrated.
 
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akugami

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2005
6,210
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I think the world would be a better place without any social media. The shit is a cancer that eats away at society.

Agreed.

If you would have asked me out of high school, back when the web was all text based, I would have thought the idea of social media was amazing. Nowadays, and in hindsight, social media is not social, and it's not media. It is definitely a cancer to society.
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,060
24,368
136
I don’t agree with that implication. I also don’t think describing Twitter as right wing now means it was left wing before. If anything Twitter was extremely welcoming to right wing opinion, welcoming far beyond what its terms of service required. This is for the same reason that the rest of the media are welcoming to right wing people, because conservatives relentlessly work the refs and complain about being persecuted regardless of whether it’s true.

Indeed. Social Media has been a boon for right wing propaganda. From Twitter to FB to YouTube. Right wing lies have spread like wildfire there. Without those social media channels the last 10 years the right wing evil would not have spread so fast.
 
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Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,599
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Indeed. Social Media has been a boon for right wing propaganda. From Twitter to FB to YouTube. Right wing lies have spread like wildfire there. Without those social media channels the last 10 years the right wing evil would not have spread so fast.

You focus on the lies and the means by which they spread. There is nothing wrong with that approach as that is a valid aspect of the problem. But the question becomes what to do about it. Do we outlaw social media. Do changes the laws of free speech. I see no consensus as to what to do.

But there is another angle to this issue I think gets less attention but is no less difficult to deal with. You have suggested how it spreads but why does it spread, what is the appeal, why are people like open sewers pipes to shit.

I think the main reason is dissatisfaction with what is. Do you trust the system to change. It will only change when people get behind a movement. Our system is morally corrupt, full of fearful selfish people. There is also a reason why, the lack of understanding about which means that nothing can change. We will always seek answers to the symptoms and never the root of the disease until we wake up.
 

nOOky

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2004
3,233
2,290
136
I fear Twitter is really tough to kill. Across multiple forums I note that Twitter seems to be the most popular link people use for posting new info (political, entertainment, sports, tech, etc...).

Eventually Musk could make it a going concern, with the terrible lesson that the way to run a tech company is to fire half the staff, and make the rest work double the hours.

This forum is annoying AF because of the links to twitter that I can't open on my work computer, and I can't see anything other than the link so I lose whatever point or message the poster is aiming for.
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
136
I also find it funny why people call Twitter right wing now. Because you can spout hate speech, be a Nazi, and have less moderation of child abuse content.

I guess that is self awareness of some sort?
Twitter has always allowed hate speech as long as it wasn't prominent or didn't generate a lot of attention. I used to joke years ago about what I called the "one degree of Chuck Woolery (or James Woods)" where you could click on any of their twitter followers at a random and almost immediately descend down a rabbit hole of genuine naziism and white aupremacy.

And when one considers how openly eager right-wingers are to censor liberal speech, it is silly that they are allowed to get away with their free speech narrative. Especially now as they are literally driving liberals away from twitter.
 
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cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
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Agreed.

If you would have asked me out of high school, back when the web was all text based, I would have thought the idea of social media was amazing. Nowadays, and in hindsight, social media is not social, and it's not media. It is definitely a cancer to society.

Same line of reasoning different conclusion. Imo social media just exposes an intrinsic weakness that I'd rather have exposed than hidden away.

Its like, would I rather the atom bomb never been invented?

We as a species *have* to evolve and adapt along side with our pursuit of knowledge OR go Taliban. That is my simplistic view of it. Evolve or Taliban. Two only choices :).
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
136
The flaw of social media is that it amplifies voices and ideas that without social media would be muted or sidelined.
In real life, if someone is pushing ideas that were considered socially unacceptable, it is relatively easy for society to ignore or sideline that voice.
On social media though, the only way society can do that is through self-censorship, as any attempt to engage with socially unpopular speech only amplifies it and increases its reach.
This is because social media only cares about engagement.
Think about, if someone in real life said they wanted for an entire group of people to be genocided, society would shout them down and censure them. But try the same thing on social media, and that hateful voice is only amplified with every attempt to even disagree with it. This is how extremism becomes popular.
Now I am in no way against free speech. Quite the opposite, I am staunch proponent of it. But free speech does not mean free reach. It doesn't mean that other people can't disagree with you or refuse to associate with you.
The right-wing have worked very hard to confuse that, equating a free platform to publish their speech as a requirement of free speech and exercises of freedom of association as persecution (cancel culture).
Regular people need to stand up and make their voices heard against this insanity. While they still can be heard.
 
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pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,261
4,944
136
It's only insane because you're lying about it being okay to eat, sleep, shit and piss on the sidewalk in San Francisco. Those things are not "okay" in SF. They just occur because it is impractical (if not impossible) to prevent every instance.
But it is fun that you decided to attack the homeless in defense of a dick boss who won't let his employees have a home life.


You can deny it all you want. We have all seen the videos. They also don't care if you drug it up in public either... When the city allows it they are condoning it.

I don't see any issue with offering a place to sleep at work if you are too tired to drive home. I don't think he is holding them hostage or making them live there. If you have evidence to the contrary please post it.

Where did I attack any homeless person(s)? Facts are not an attack.
 
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pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,261
4,944
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Putting bedrooms in commercially zoned area is illegal basically everywhere in the United States.


But it's Okay to live in a cobbled together shelter on the sidewalk in a commercial zone then piss, shit, get high on drugs?

Still insane. The city needs to clean up its own backyard first. But we all know they just want to make Musk miserable.

I couldn't give two shits about Musk or his Twitter Media, but to point fingers at him for a place to sleep for his employees while allowing the slums on the streets is just silly.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,060
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But it's Okay to live in a cobbled together shelter on the sidewalk in a commercial zone then piss, shit, get high on drugs?

Still insane. The city needs to clean up its own backyard first. But we all know they just want to make Musk miserable.

I couldn't give two shits about Musk or his Twitter Media, but to point fingers at him for a place to sleep for his employees while allowing the slums on the streets is just silly.
What do you propose we do with the homeless? Put them in camps? Help solve the socio economic conditions that definitely drive a significant amount of homelessness?
 
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