Like probably most people in the discussion here, I think I’m smarter than the average person, and can discern the truth from multiple conflicting claims.<p>But a little introspection shows me that no, this isn’t really true. I’m not hunting down original sources for everything I think I know, I’m mostly relying on gatekeepers (experts) to tell me what is true.<p>Unfortunately, in social media, everybody gets to be an expert! How can the average person tell?<p>As much as it goes against my grain, I have to admit that society works better when the gatekeepers decide what the truth is, even though we know they don’t always get it right.<p>Our current technology allowing any kind of garbage to be amplified to the masses is making things worse, not better.
I'm glad they halted that. But it reduces the common area we can even discuss anything going on this week in politics.<p>Taking a step back...<p>We've got these two sides. Regardless of the merits, each side believes they know the truth, and that the other side is delusional. And it is easy enough to engage with your media outlets of choice, and get your beliefs reinforced.<p>How can we have a meaningful discussion as a nation, when there is no apparent common ground? No set of agreed-upon facts?<p>Now I of course have my own very strong opinions and I'm sure I have a good comprehension of the truth. But that isn't going to convince anyone on the other side anymore. To people on one side, the other side's minds appear to be just poisoned.<p>A common tactic to try to get through to the other side is to just yell louder. But that isn't working.<p>What's left? What can be done?
This would be whack-a-mole otherwise, but when I saw this trending the vast majority of the tweets were sharing videos of people chanting that slogan in the Capitol amidst the storm. By suppressing the sharing of that information people are actually less likely to be aware that's what they were chanting (I know I would be less aware because that's where I learned about it).<p>Now I guess there's the potential they weren't actually shouting that and it was dubbed, but it seemed credible based on many of the sources discussing it on twitter, some of whom were 1 degree separated from the source of the video.<p>Aside: there are so many landmines in me writing this that I don't know how to qualify my comments well enough to not be accused of something. Guess no one has to say to me "may you live in interesting times."
Sometimes I wonder if most or all of the problems with major social media sites come from trending pages and private groups. The concept of keeping up with people online isn't a bad one, but so many of the bad stories wouldn't be so terrible if they weren't amplified by trending pages or huge private groups. Trending pages most consistently, in my opinion.
On a good day like a third of twitter's trending topics are people saying "I can't believe this is a trending topic".<p>Irrespective of that there's a certain authority imbued with words listed in a trending topics section, whether or not the user clicks on them. Since trending topics lack context, there's a literalism to them that can distort meaning.<p>As much of this was about a reaction to the video rather than a literal interpretation, it would probably be best to reword it with more context or make it a news item, if it's to remain up at all.
If that was about reporting what happened at the Capitol I don't think it should've been removed. But if people was asking in Twitter for Pence to be hanged, then yes.<p>We shouldn't treat the same way reporting violence than violence itself.
I'd love to see Twitter's lifetime list of "Halted" trending topics. Obviously this is a more understandable example, but it's interesting to note Twitter admitting politically relevant trending-topic censorship.
Not long ago, there was a #guillotine hashtag on Twitter<p><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/guillotine2020?lang=en" rel="nofollow">https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/guillotine2020?lang=en</a><p>Wasn’t ‘halted’.<p><a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/guillotine" rel="nofollow">https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/guillotine</a><p><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/notallbhas/status/1247912479340015616" rel="nofollow">https://mobile.twitter.com/notallbhas/status/124791247934001...</a> : Bernie sanders’ plan c = guillotine
It's kind of sad to see how these threads quickly turn into a a messy sequence of poorly reasoned arguments or how some people are trying to justify really extreme positions.
Why would a Trump supporter want to “hang Mike Pence” when he has been loyal to him for 4 years and just did his constitutional duty on the 6th ? I am lost for words
These people are a lost cause. There was a vicious attack on an unassuming black woman in LA yesterday where more than 20 trump supporters held her down and punched and maced her. These people are terrorists and should be dealt with accordingly.
Can confirm - i've retweeted some of the recent "hang mike pence" related tweets.<p>The great thing, that this title doesn't clarify, is that a lot of the trending tweets (at least of recent, and what i RT) are not promoting the hanging of pence, but speaking out against it and the people who say it.<p>I've never liked mike pence, we have opposing perspectives - but man, i have never even thought about hanging him. But these rioters, who in theory are part of his party, were there and ready to hang him because he didn't do what they wanted, just did his job. Something I have to give him credit for.