Social Media Political Lens

[Isgrimnur]

[El Guapo]

Kamala Harris did an extended interview on the podcast Call Her Daddy. I've never heard of it before this, but apparently it is a sex-themed podcast focused on women (and apparently the #2 podcast on Spotify). Of course now Twitter is covered in posts slamming Harris, mostly oriented around criticizing her for going on a podcast called Call Her Daddy while people are suffering in North Carolina.

[Smoove_B]

I'm beginning to think the largest tent pole on the GOP platform is the "fomenting of grievances". Outrage culture really is their brand now, eh? Perfect for social media.

[Isgrimnur]

If they can make you feel, you’re less likely to think.

[LordMortis]

Kamala Harris did an extended interview on the podcast Call Her Daddy. I've never heard of it before this, but apparently it is a sex-themed podcast focused on women (and apparently the #2 podcast on Spotify). Of course now Twitter is covered in posts slamming Harris, mostly oriented around criticizing her for going on a podcast called Call Her Daddy while people are suffering in North Carolina.

I mean, she could be out there diverting funds from FEMA to help illegals get free sex changes in public school prisons where wrongly prosecuted hardworking regular folk by the weaponized DOJ would be subjected to them in the choose your own bathroom.

[YellowKing]

A REAL President would be in Asheville right now, throwing paper towels at people!

[LordMortis]

No idea if it is meaningful or just an insignificant group think blip for the moment but I'm seeing pretty much everyone I know on FB posting bluesky profile IDs, most in explicit effort to end their relationship with Xhitter. Some, I can only assume, either because they see everyone else doing it or because they feel they are going to miss someone who is explicitly leaving. I wonder if it will stick or be meaningful in any way.

Also, with the amount of people posting reels, Xhitter, and TikTok links on FB, I wonder who has time and desire for all that. Then you add in the smaller players and Instagram and hobby/lifestyle specific social media and youtube channels. Oi. There are times I am happy to be the olds. That's just too much. And that's not even considering all of the "influencers" making their fame and bread and butter. Is it any wonder the signal to noise on politics is FUBAR. Maybe one day social media will hit billboard level of immersion or do people think it's so personal that it will never happen.

[Exodor]

No idea if it is meaningful or just an insignificant group think blip for the moment but I'm seeing pretty much everyone I know on FB posting bluesky profile IDs, most in explicit effort to end their relationship with Xhitter. Some, I can only assume, either because they see everyone else doing it or because they feel they are going to miss someone who is explicitly leaving. I wonder if it will stick or be meaningful in any way.

I've been using BlueSky for awhile now and the increase in activity since the election is very noticeable. I won't believe Twitter is in trouble until more journalists and official accounts move over but any move away from Twitter (and Facebook, Instagram and Threads) is a Good Thing.

[Skinypupy]

I nuked Twitter/X. Haven’t signed up for Bkuesky but probably will eventually. I just need a break from the outrage machine of social media entirely right now.

I still peek at Facebook from time to time, but I see very little politics there, if any.

[LawBeefaroni]

No idea if it is meaningful or just an insignificant group think blip for the moment but I'm seeing pretty much everyone I know on FB posting bluesky profile IDs, most in explicit effort to end their relationship with Xhitter. Some, I can only assume, either because they see everyone else doing it or because they feel they are going to miss someone who is explicitly leaving. I wonder if it will stick or be meaningful in any way.

Day late, dollar short. They should have bailed for Bluesky a year ago.

It's good to see the new exodus but X has already served it's purpose.

[Blackhawk]

If it weren't the only way to keep in touch with a handful of specific people, I'd have dumped Facebook, too. I don't see politics there - anyone going overboard in that department was either removed or unfollowed as soon as I saw it - but we've gotten to the point where any 'traditional' social media is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

[Grifman]

This is funny:

https://twitter.com/phil_lewis_/status/ ... NcXCfN8s1g

They should keep his site open but spew left wing stuff.

[LordMortis]

If it weren't the only way to keep in touch with a handful of specific people, I'd have dumped Facebook, too. I don't see politics there - anyone going overboard in that department was either removed or unfollowed as soon as I saw it - but we've gotten to the point where any 'traditional' social media is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

I culled my FB account a long time ago. I don't remember when. I put my wall on public notice and the just started plonking. I'm better for it. All that's left a is sounding board, sadly. But the non sounding board political folks kept linking to things like The Federalist. In fairness, I also plonked the Occupy Democrat posters. If you are going post Political "facts" then do you diligence was all I asked. 100% of prolific conservative posters refused my demand. Every last one of them is gone. I'm not sure how many prolific liberal posters I plonked. It was no small amount. It's a shame to lose touch with people I was once close to, but the price of admission was too high.

[Blackhawk]

With the last of my family thousands of miles away (I've cut ties with the two aunts that represent the last of my local relatives), Facebook is the only connection I have to them. Given that my day-to-day life is pretty much just me (it's hard to make friends when you don't work, don't hang out, and are part of multiple pariah groups in your town), being able to chat with the two of them is pretty important.

If it weren't for that, I'd abandon Facebook completely. I'm tired of the algorithm-driven megacorp manipulation and exploitation.

[Grifman]

I’m lucky that few of my large number of family members (I have over 30 cousins) are MAGA, but I have a number of friends that are, some loudly so. When the MAGA noise exceeds news about their lives, I stay friends, but I block them so I no longer see their rants

I did have one friend that surprisingly dropped me. She posted whole thing about kids being cats in school and cat litter. Another friend bluntly challenged her, and said this was crazy. She insisted it was true and happening in her area (rural SC - yeah, right). I posted saying that I had searched Google and there were no verified reports of this anywhere in SC. I told her one SC state rep had made a claim, but never produced any evidence when challenged by the courts. I then said, but hey, you are there, maybe Google missed what was happening in her area. I asked her to name the school(s) and give her sources. She promptly unfriended me, guess I called her bluff, though I was very intentionally polite in my questions.

It was very sad because she is really a very intelligent person, and is one of the last people who I would have thought would fall for that crap. But such is the world we live in.

[Unagi]

@ BH
Couldn't you text them instead of FB chat?

I've never been on FB, so I'm not sure the nuances of that chat.

Perhaps it's one level below a text in the 'formal' nature of the chat and that's the appeal?

[Blackhawk]

@ BH
Couldn't you text them instead of FB chat?

I've never been on FB, so I'm not sure the nuances of that chat.

Perhaps it's one level below a text in the 'formal' nature of the chat and that's the appeal?

It's more about them sharing moments from their lives - photos, events, experiences. It provides a connection to them beyond the one-on-one, question-and-answer style that texts would involve.

[Unagi]

@ BH
Couldn't you text them instead of FB chat?

I've never been on FB, so I'm not sure the nuances of that chat.

Perhaps it's one level below a text in the 'formal' nature of the chat and that's the appeal?

It's more about them sharing moments from their lives - photos, events, experiences. It provides a connection to them beyond the one-on-one, question-and-answer style that texts would involve.

Gotcha. Makes sense.

[Punisher]

I’m lucky that few of my large number of family members (I have over 30 cousins) are MAGA, but I have a number of friends that are, some loudly so. When the MAGA noise exceeds news about their lives, I stay friends, but I block them so I no longer see their rants

I did have one friend that surprisingly dropped me. She posted whole thing about kids being cats in school and cat litter. Another friend bluntly challenged her, and said this was crazy. She insisted it was true and happening in her area (rural SC - yeah, right). I posted saying that I had searched Google and there were no verified reports of this anywhere in SC. I told her one SC state rep had made a claim, but never produced any evidence when challenged by the courts. I then said, but hey, you are there, maybe Google missed what was happening in her area. I asked her to name the school(s) and give her sources. She promptly unfriended me, guess I called her bluff, though I was very intentionally polite in my questions.

It was very sad because she is really a very intelligent person, and is one of the last people who I would have thought would fall for that crap. But such is the world we live in.

How intelligent cpuld they be if they're easily duped?
Or is it a wisdom vs intelligent thing?
Or book vs street smarts?
Or both?

[Grifman]

I’m lucky that few of my large number of family members (I have over 30 cousins) are MAGA, but I have a number of friends that are, some loudly so. When the MAGA noise exceeds news about their lives, I stay friends, but I block them so I no longer see their rants

I did have one friend that surprisingly dropped me. She posted whole thing about kids being cats in school and cat litter. Another friend bluntly challenged her, and said this was crazy. She insisted it was true and happening in her area (rural SC - yeah, right). I posted saying that I had searched Google and there were no verified reports of this anywhere in SC. I told her one SC state rep had made a claim, but never produced any evidence when challenged by the courts. I then said, but hey, you are there, maybe Google missed what was happening in her area. I asked her to name the school(s) and give her sources. She promptly unfriended me, guess I called her bluff, though I was very intentionally polite in my questions.

It was very sad because she is really a very intelligent person, and is one of the last people who I would have thought would fall for that crap. But such is the world we live in.

How intelligent cpuld they be if they're easily duped?
Or is it a wisdom vs intelligent thing?
Or book vs street smarts?
Or both?

History shows us that well meaning intelligent people make terrible, stupid decisions all the time because people are, well people, and are flawed and fallible. That’s what makes it so frustrating.

[waitingtoconnect]

People believe it because of their own deep seated prejudice that was always there.

Friends and extended family of color tell me they aren’t sure what’s worse- the open racism now from all these “normal people” out there quiet racism these people felt they were “censored” from bringing up.

[GreenGoo]

Smart people make really bad mistakes all the time. But they don't make MORE mistakes. Educated and uneducated are not equivalent just because there are examples of uneducated people being brilliant and educated people being moronic. That sort of false equivalency is part of what drives the facts don't matter landscape.

[Blackhawk]

Also worth mentioning is that a lot of Trump's appeal isn't rational, but it's emotional. Intelligence, education, and emotion are three different things. Some smart people are more vulnerable to strong emotions than others.

[LordMortis]

Silence!!!

https://fortune.com/2024/11/14/grok-mus ... -spreader/

User Gary Koepnick asked the AI which person spreads the most information on Twitter/X—and the service did not hesitate in pointing a finger at its creator.

“Based on various analyses, social media sentiment, and reports, Elon Musk has been identified as one of the most significant spreaders of misinformation on X since he acquired the platform,” it wrote, later adding “Musk has made numerous posts that have been criticized for promoting or endorsing misinformation, especially related to political events, elections, health issues like COVID-19, and conspiracy theories. His endorsements or interactions with content from controversial figures or accounts with a history of spreading misinformation have also contributed to this perception.”

The AI also pointed out that because of Musk’s large number of followers and high visibility, any misinformation he posts is immediately amplified and gains legitimacy among his followers.

This, it said, “can have real-world consequences, especially during significant events like elections.”

Are we not laughing yet?

[Punisher]

Maybe it IS time for AI to take over!

[Pyperkub]

Wasn't sure where to put this awesomeness:

Johnny Somali, the nuisance streamer who travels the world committing the most culturally offensive felonies he can for views, is now in Korea. Mock-assaulting memorials to sex crime victims, Actual-harassing women, spraying rotten fish juice on subway strangers.

And he is absolutely screwed....

...Previously, he'd commit crimes until arrested, cry/promise never to stream again, and escape to the next country to begin anew.

But Korea has expected this, and been ready.

The current president rose to fame as a merciless prosecutor, who hired all his prosecutor friends.

They love prosecuting...

...The police have taken his passport, and is not allowed to leave Seoul while they build their case. Meanwhile, the entire Korean streaming community has crowdfunded massive amounts to offer a bounty for anyone who knocks him out. You get a reward, a legal fund, and a stay in a 5 star hotel...

...Johnny Somali is going to trial.

The only reason he's not in custody is because this could take YEARS and Korea wants to make him pay his own dang bills through the process. He is looking at unthinkable legal fees in a country where he cannot legally work or leave.

The Thread continues... and yes, it gets even worse for him

[Punisher]

Sounds like a wonderful person.

[Isgrimnur]

Meta workers are quietly rebelling against Mark Zuckerberg after he eliminated DEI initiatives by bringing their own tampons to men’s bathrooms

It seems part of the rolling back of DEI initiatives meant removing tampons and pads and other sanitary products from men’s bathrooms at all Meta offices. But to protest their billionaire boss, workers are reportedly bringing their own tampons into men’s bathrooms and circulating a petition to save them, five people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

[Holman]

Wired: The Social Security Administration Is Gutting Regional Staff and Shifting All Public Communications to X

The Social Security Administration will no longer be communicating with the media and the public through press releases and “dear colleague” letters, as it shifts its public communication exclusively to X, sources tell WIRED. The news comes amid major staffing cuts at the agency.

“We are no longer planning to issue press releases or those dear colleague letters to inform the media and public about programmatic and service changes,” said SSA regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis in a meeting with managers earlier this week. “Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public … so this will become our communication mechanism.”

Here it comes. Before long, all official announcements and government information will be coming exclusively through Voice of Elon.

"Smith! 6079 Smith W! Tune your telescreen to X for an important announcement!"

[Blackhawk]

At which point X becomes an official government function, becomes effectively mandatory for Americans, and becomes subject to all sorts of regulations, including limitations on what they can do with the data they collect.

Right? Right?

[LawBeefaroni]

At which point X becomes an official government function, becomes effectively mandatory for Americans, and becomes subject to all sorts of regulations, including limitations on what they can do with the data they collect.

Right? Right?

At that point, of course, it would make sense for the government to fund X significantly. More federal teat for Musk to gorge on.

[Blackhawk]

It would also make other social media direct competitors of the US government.

[Skinypupy]

Meta workers are quietly rebelling against Mark Zuckerberg after he eliminated DEI initiatives by bringing their own tampons to men’s bathrooms

It seems part of the rolling back of DEI initiatives meant removing tampons and pads and other sanitary products from men’s bathrooms at all Meta offices. But to protest their billionaire boss, workers are reportedly bringing their own tampons into men’s bathrooms and circulating a petition to save them, five people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

Speaking of Meta, I’ve seen a very significant uptick in MAGA or MAGA-adjacent stuff showing up on my feed lately. Not by people I follow or anyone I’m friends with, but I’m now seeing lots of posts by random MAGA influencers or companies that I never used to see before.

Its very annoying and will likely push me further away from using FB than I already am.

[LordMortis]

Speaking of Meta, I’ve seen a very significant uptick in MAGA or MAGA-adjacent stuff showing up on my feed lately. Not by people I follow or anyone I’m friends with, but I’m now seeing lots of posts by random MAGA influencers or companies that I never used to see before.

Its very annoying and will likely push me further away from using FB than I already am.

I highly recommend the plugin social fixer. I'd have rage quit FB several years ago without that plug in. It's a bit customizable so you may need to tweak it to get what you want, such as it always defaults to most recent posts and you may prefer the FB algo for what's important. (I actually prefer it this default)

One thing that does happen though, is that the plug in screws with FB tracking, so that blue dot what might interest you thing in the upper right hand corner is, for intents and purposes, useless and annoying. Aside from that the condensing each ad/you might like/sponsor(how that's different from ad I dont know) down to 8 pixels informing you that it's been skipped is awesome, at least for me. I get that I am product FB is trying to sell but their aggressive spam made it unusable for me. I'd sooner them ban me blocking their ads than be overwhelmed by their (way too often political misinformation) spam.

[Alefroth]

Meta workers are quietly rebelling against Mark Zuckerberg after he eliminated DEI initiatives by bringing their own tampons to men’s bathrooms

It seems part of the rolling back of DEI initiatives meant removing tampons and pads and other sanitary products from men’s bathrooms at all Meta offices. But to protest their billionaire boss, workers are reportedly bringing their own tampons into men’s bathrooms and circulating a petition to save them, five people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

Speaking of Meta, I’ve seen a very significant uptick in MAGA or MAGA-adjacent stuff showing up on my feed lately. Not by people I follow or anyone I’m friends with, but I’m now seeing lots of posts by random MAGA influencers or companies that I never used to see before.

Its very annoying and will likely push me further away from using FB than I already am.

Yeah, I started seeing that too maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. Just a deluge of sponsored posts by right-wing, religious, or mens' rights accounts, along with dog breeders and meat farms.

[Skinypupy]

Yeah, I started seeing that too maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. Just a deluge of sponsored posts by right-wing, religious, or mens' rights accounts, along with dog breeders and meat farms.

Yep, that’s about the same time frame as mine.

Like most of us, I had kept a very curated feed focused only on my interests and to eliminate that sort of thing. So it’s been quite jarring to see MAGA and religious orgs suddenly show up en masse.

[Smoove_B]

I can only suggest you set up a dummy FB account that is only used for hobby stuff or personal interests. Don't connect with anyone; don't have any friends - just use it to read about stuff you're interested in. That's what I do and even though I interact on the various hobby pages I'm part of, I don't see any political or religious nonsense in my feed.

[Kraken]

Yeah, I started seeing that too maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. Just a deluge of sponsored posts by right-wing, religious, or mens' rights accounts, along with dog breeders and meat farms.

Yep, that’s about the same time frame as mine.

Like most of us, I had kept a very curated feed focused only on my interests and to eliminate that sort of thing. So it’s been quite jarring to see MAGA and religious orgs suddenly show up en masse.

I'm only seeing that in Reels (the short vids), and its not a lot -- maybe one right-winger per 10-12 vids, when there used to be zero, and I still see lots of lefties. I close them as soon as I realize it's a MAGAt in hope that the algorithm will learn that I don't want to see that -- one cannot selectively block individual Reel authors AFAIK. Bad algorithm!

[Max Peck]

one cannot selectively block individual Reel authors AFAIK. Bad algorithm!

Clearly working as intended, though.

[Alefroth]

Perhaps the end of 4Chan?

https://cybernews.com/security/4chan-do ... suspected/
https://www.newsweek.com/4chan-down-hac ... ts-2059862

The outage and rumors of a breach arrive at a time when tech platforms are increasingly targeted for their data or content moderation practices. If confirmed, the release of moderator data or staff emails could expose internal practices at one of the internet's most opaque communities.

Due to 4chan's history of fringe political activity and controversial user content, any breach involving moderator identities or communication may pose significant risks both for those individuals and for the broader online safety ecosystem.