[Closed] Twitter , is it a damning indictment of the UK population?

How are you seeing those Tweets? It's either that you are Following them or someone you Follow is retweeting them. There's an easy answer...

Sure… you can filter them out… but they will still exist… and still get to vote.

The idea of Twitter is that you pick people or organisations to follow. So do that, and then you'll just see their output, and you'll be fine.

Do everything on this page including block users / filter keywords:

https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/control-your-twitter-experience

You can make it a nice place...

Start by filtering all things Covid and the names of all political leaders in the UK / US...

A very small number of vocal users can make it unpleasant for the person that just wants biking and financial news relating to Rolls Royce stock 😂

How are you seeing those Tweets? It’s either that you are Following them or someone you Follow is retweeting them. There’s an easy answer…

Nope..I don't follow anyone but I occasionally click on a twitter link in a BBC story. Today's example was a story about Laurence Fox trying to get us to boycott Sainsburys because, basically, he's a bit of a cxxx. The responses were full of ignorant union Jack flying types who were so incensed by Sainsbury's backing black history month they were taking their weekly shopping of frozen pies and Stella elsewhere.

Sure… you can filter them out… but they will still exist… and

Exactly..I can filter them out all I want but that doesn't mean they don't impact me..

In my experience, any exposure to what the 'majority' think is a damning indictment of the UK population.

I think every tweet/FB post/unbelievably stupid vox pop on TV should be appended with a statement along the lines of 'according to ONS statistics, the other 90% of the population also think this person is a cretin'...

You are under-thinking this.

How are you seeing those Tweets? It’s either that you are Following them or someone you Follow is retweeting them. There’s an easy answer…

Not necessarily. I don’t “follow” any of the hate mongers, but do follow a few people who I might disagree with politically so as to try not to exist in an echo chamber. However, it’s quite easy to end up reading below the line on Twitter - if you were to click on anything by or mentioning e.g. David Lammy or Sadiq Khan - the replies will be full of the type of idiots to whom the OP refers.

Mind you, I find it quite depressing to see the hate that people quite happily spout on there so I’m more and more unfollowing political figures. Just my local MP and members of Bunker & Remainiacs podcasts these days. I insulted Tommy Robinson and didn’t realise I’d done it on some far right nut job’s tweet. Holy shit - I had to turn off everything and block about a hundred people. It’s the only time I’ve ever started to feel a bit scared online.

It was more fun on Twitter when it was all just fields. I don’t know why some people even bother replying to the big accounts now - I imagine they all have replies either switched off or muted.

You are under-thinking this.

Yep.

And if you don't encounter these people in real life, you really need to get out more. Hiding in our safe online echo chambers really distorts what you think is real.

Nope, I think it's fairly representative of what you get if you shine a torch into a sewer.

And if you don’t encounter these people in real life, you really need to get out more

Why would I want to encounter these people in real life? The whole point of getting a good education / going to University (in the old days) was so you can have a life/career which completely avoids dealing with the dregs of society.

And if you don’t encounter these people in real life, you really need to get out more. Hiding in our safe online echo chambers really distorts what you think is real.

Eh, why would I want to go out my way to spend time with these types of people. I make a point of doing the complete opposite as I have no interest in having any kind of social contact with unintelligent, pig ignorant bigots.

They exist, I know they exist (see brexit), that's enough for me.

Read the comments under any bbc news article and weep for society.

Nope, I think it’s fairly representative of what you get if you shine a torch into the U.K.

I think if you took 100 perfectly normal people who get on well in real life and made them communicate solely through twitter you'd inevitably end up with them all shouting at each other and arguing.

Reasonable opinions are lost in the noise, only extreme ones are amplified.

Then it all gets reported in the news.

Then more people complain on twitter.

It's just a merry-go-ground of nonsense.

I think if you took 100 perfectly normal people who get on well in real life and made them communicate solely through twitter you’d inevitably end up with them all shouting at each other and arguing.

Reasonable opinions are lost in the noise, only extreme ones are amplified.

Yep. Arguably true of all online discussions, too.

I have clicked on some twitter links from newspaper articles and now I get all sorts of very right-wing nonsense 'suggested' to me, so you don't have to go looking for it. There are lots of exceptions obviously but sadly we live in a country with a fairly high proportion of petty-minded, bigoted, ignorant, unkind people.

Twitter and most of our national media thrives on amplifying this though. Conflict sells advertising/papers. Can't wait until these new 'Fox News style' channels start up over here :-/

Aw, come on, it's not all bad...

https://twitter.com/forest_fr1ends/status/1313913551921254402?s=20

https://twitter.com/Pandamoanimum/status/1313095447934914560?s=20

https://twitter.com/DepressedDarth/status/1313918734889897986?s=20

https://twitter.com/Coldwar_Steve/status/1313761962380201989?s=20

It's a damming indictment of society in general. Other countries are just as bad sometimes in exactly the same way other times in outwardly different ways but the core drivers are the same. It's just that it's even easier to be in a bubble in a foreign society than it is in your own society, and it's easy to be in a bubble in your own society.

I [personally] think you should follow people you disagree with. If you only follow people who have the same views as you, it leads to the polarisation of thought. It's either my way, or I'm not talking to you. And from there it's a slippery slope to my way or no way. Which is not good in any society.

There are vast numbers of cretins who take things too far even for that train of thought on Twitter (I'm now up to 1500 blocked accounts). But of course, people notice the one controversial tweet, and not the ninety-nine boring tweets about cats

Now, everyone is different, but if you don't engage (or read) with people with different thoughts,how can you counteract their arguments?

Also remember there are a lot more people who are on twitter but don't shout about it, but there are vocal minorities on all sides. They shout the loudest, and the media (of all stripes) write about their views as it's controversial from one side or the other. And controversy sells

Never read the comments.

Why would I want to encounter these people in real life? The whole point of getting a good education / going to University (in the old days) was so you can have a life/career which completely avoids dealing with the dregs of society.

Thats what Mother Theresa said!

People behave differently when there's not a person in front of them. See also people in cars. It's not enough to see the face, you have to be present with the other person. This moderates not only what we say but what we think. That's how people can complain about immigrants to other immigrants and then say stuff like 'oh no not you, you're alright, it's the rest of them'.

How humans behave is highly dependent on how those around them behave or the situation they're in. How people argue on Twitter or STW is not them revealing their 'true colours', it's a psychological effect of the fact that there's no-one standing there.

I’ve deleted local news sites on Facebook for this reason.

At first I was taking some small pleasure in immediately blocking them, but a greater pleasure is minimising realisation that people who (don’t) think like that exist.

It’s all in the same vein.....Brexit, Covid...people with barely two qualifications to rub together who suddenly have the delusion of believing they are experts in say economics or epidemiology.

Why would I want to encounter these people in real life? The whole point of getting a good education / going to University (in the old days) was so you can have a life/career which completely avoids dealing with the dregs of society

Yeah cos posh schools mean you don't become a racist. I mean just look at the Tory party....

I'm not on twitter, absolutely no one I know is, and I'm not that old or out of touch, generally early adopter of new platforms/tech. I reckon its a pretty limited user base being blown out of proportion by its use in the media - which I wish they'd stop doing + some heavily polarised user groups. Basically delete it and move on, it has no value. Same for FB.

Basically delete it and move on, it has no value.

That's excessive as there's loads of great stuff on Twitter, but you do need to curate your list to keep the good stuff on top.

Funny ... I joined an MTB group on FB and was taking a (rare) look at it tonight. Ended up in stitches just at how ****y people can be to each other ... even when they have their real names/profiles up there. Not like on here with people ‘behind’ aliases.

Maybe it’s just moderation here that generally keeps people the sunny side of Rule No.1, but seriously, I spat my drink out. Let me screengrab for your enjoyment. It might even be you 😑.
shall anonymize/censor. Brb.

Edit: here but for thevgrace of mods go we...

🤣😂🤣

Tweets like this is why I use Twitter,

https://twitter.com/samharrisorg/status/1313878324880367617?s=21

And this

https://twitter.com/thedailyshow/status/1313880158269517824?s=21

Why would I want to encounter these people in real life? The whole point of getting a good education / going to University (in the old days) was so you can have a life/career which completely avoids dealing with the dregs of society

I am not sure that was "the whole point" of going to University. Yes you can get a job that avoids having to work with the working classes (and if working classes bother you then you have the problem) but as pointed out above, there are a just as many ****ers at the higher levels of society but they are arguably more dangerous as they are the ones manipulating and cajoling the "dregs of society" for their own means (see Brexit or last Tory election win for examples)

I can't quite work out what percentage of folk on Twitter are real people actually saying what they actually believe - as opposed to bots, trolls and paid-for accounts etc.

Even my MP, though he tweets he never actually replies to any responses - so it's just 'marketing' for him.

It's pretty insulting to suggest that it's primarily working class or people with a low level of education that have I'll formed ideas. It depends on your ability to follow questioning lines of thought. To be honest I have met just as many educated people who follow dogma as anyone. Some have been worse because they have a degree think they must be correct.

I think it's a good way to determine whose opinion to ignore. They're all basically the same anyway.

* St George's flag in the name
* Union flag in the name
* Profile picture taken at a football ground somewhere
* "Free thhinker" or similar in the description

The University of Life needs a severe drubbing by OFSTED if you ask me.

Isn't the problem the op is describing that the BBC and other news organisations are trawling twitter and other social media for news, and trying to portray trolls comments as public opinion?

I ****ing hate that lazy fake journalism too, but for the many faults that social media do have, I don't think that is one that they can be blamed for.

Isn’t the problem the op is describing that the BBC and other news organisations are trawling twitter and other social media for news, and trying to portray trolls comments as public opinion?

Not necessarily troll comments.

I find it hard to differentiate between, say

1. ‘honest’ trolls trolling for kicks?
2. bad actors trolling to spread propaganda?
3. satire-trolls satirising extremists?, or
4. regular people parroting/spouting whatever?

Yet it seems that the most inaccurate and ill-informed comments (whatever the veracity or otherwise of the ‘seeder’) are ‘news‘ as long as they are sufficiently inflammatory. I’m not sure that the BBC is the biggest culprit of this by a long shot, but I see it pretty much across the board.

The thing with social media is the ‘monkey see - monkey do’ effect. See the recent ‘covid Proms‘ debacle. BBC punched itself in the face after being accused of being PC and ‘banning the lyrics’ by reporting itself of being accused of ‘being PC and ‘banning the lyrics’. The twottersphere was of course as usual hanging with anti-BBC vitriol before it was reported by the BBC, but the source of the first accusation was ... who knows or cares? The popular opinion is the ‘truth’ that matters now.

Social media is both a rumour mill and propaganda dump. The truth rarely gets it’s boots on because the meme/narrative/rumour/propaganda was instantly spread around the globe by #everychannel, #everytwotter, #everytuber, #everyinsta, #everyfber

I [personally] think you should follow people you disagree with. If you only follow people who have the same views as you, it leads to the polarisation of thought. It’s either my way, or I’m not talking to you. And from there it’s a slippery slope to my way or no way. Which is not good in any society.

You see, I completely disagree with this.

I'm not going to mellow on being anti-racist by following racists on Social media and by following them I'm encouraging them as by adding to their followers I massage their ego, justify their cause and increase ad revenue eg if they're on Youtube.

I think I only follow one chap on Twitter that I actively disagree with, but I think I find it a little easier to engage with people with opposing views on Twitter. It's hard work, though. And depressing. But I think it's important to disrupt echo chambers albeit in a small and ineffective way.

I’m with footflaps on this. No need to follow/support their aims/agenda (views are impressions, but subscribers/followers are much bigger impressions)

If you must, just read their public tweets and then verify independently if you want to hop onboard their train. If they’re talking utter vile bollocks then there is the rub. Engage and inflate? or walk away? It’s a shitshow. But be aware that it’s very easy to be naive enough to think that you aren’t just a pawn in their chess game.

Same as footflaps and p7eaven - I tried following a few Trump supporters a year or so back, just to get an idea of what they're "thinking". I wouldn't advise it. (I also find a lot of the more political accounts do a lot of retweeting, which tends to spam your TL with a lot of repeated messages - the Left are no less guilty than the Right when it comes to this).

Not that you can follow Katie Hopkins on Twitter anymore, but the day I wake up and start thinking 'perhaps she has a point there, maybe we should consider machine gunning migrants in the channel...' is a day I hope someone just shoots me in the back of the head....

Isn’t the problem the op is describing that the BBC and other news organisations are trawling twitter and other social media for news, and trying to portray trolls comments as public opinion?

Very much this. Watch the tv news and see how many stories are based around 'the internet is saying...'
I went through a phase of regularly looking at twitter a couple of years ago and started following a couple of, at the time, big names. I was amazed at how much of the BBC evening news was actually just reading out tweets posted by Joey Barton while drunk in the middle of the night!

Not that you can follow Katie Hopkins on Twitter anymore, but the day I wake up and start thinking ‘perhaps she has a point there, maybe we should consider machine gunning migrants in the channel…’ is a day I hope someone just shoots me in the back of the head….

You and me both! I don't spend long thinking what it must be like to see the world through that particular lens, but it must be a scary old place....!

I don’t spend long thinking what it must be like to see the world through that particular lens, but it must be a scary old place….!

Yes they sure do look ‘scared‘ 🙄

Talking of Hatie Plops - wasn’t it showboating on stage at a Trump rally the other day? Quaking it’s jackboots?

*Edit- But yes, the followers are the scared ones. Thinking that some swarthy migrant is going to steal, rape, poison and murder everything that they hold dear before pissing in their bacon sandwich and slicing their head from their shoulders.

It’s Hatie’s job to keep that narrative going. Fear sells as fast as hatred. Together they are an unstoppable force.

As much as this place is. I avoid Twitter though so my soul is only 50 % polluted on tea break.

And if you don’t encounter these people in real life,

You probably do. I find most people are a bit more "diplomatic" in real life.

Ha I see bedwetting leftist handwringers with eu stars around their profile pics in mine.
Maybe Twitter make you see the opposite of what you want to cause rage.

I've restricted my use of Twitter as there seems to be more biffers on there than there used to be.

Lot of horrible people post stuff on social media that they wouldn't dare say to your face. We've even seen it on stw.

Either filter what you want to see or stop using it.

I packed it in back in January after finding myself going down to many rabbit holes reading some seriously twisted opinions being touted as fact.
I found I suddenly had a shit load more time on my hands to do actual stuff rather than waste it getting upset with bots and nuggets.

I have occasionally popped in for a catch up on goings on with certain accounts in the last couple of weeks but haven't interacted in any way.

I think, to answer the OP its probably reflective of society but the amount of bots etc are screwing up what you could consider debate with text-ual hand grenades to stir things up.

I decided to just use FB and very rarely look at Twitter / Instagram. I prefer posts which link through to articles, which you seem to get more of on FB.

Ha I see bedwetting leftist handwringers with eu stars around their profile pics in mine.
Maybe Twitter make you see the opposite of what you want to cause rage.

Posted 1 hour ago

Finally, an STWr who can explain what good ‘Leave‘ is, and why the EU flag causes you ‘rage’?

See you over at the big thread? It could do with less of an echo. It could do with some good news. Couldn’t we all?

I have culled my twitter to the extent that it's basically people i know IRL, Weight Training stuff, American Football stuff (though never ever read the comments if the News is about Covid or Kneeling during the National Anthem) and Bike Stuff.

I am well aware that there are A LOT of people with political leanings far to the right of my bleeding heart liberal lefty leanings and that they some fairly horrible and ill thought out opinions about the likes of immigration/Brexit/Covid/Trump etc, but I don't feel the need to engage with them nor be exposed to their rantings.

Also the "Trending In..." section of Twitter will rob you of any hope in humanity.

Instagram is the same as Twitter with the addition of ladies with nice bottoms.

Very rarely look at Facebook these days to be honest.

Sometimes, Twitter does have something pop up that has you thinking, damn, that’s just expressed everything I’ve been thinking, but better than I ever could!
Drumph took a pop at Steve Schmidt, the bloke behind the Lincoln Project on Twitter;

Because I’ve beaten him and his very few remaining clients so much, and so badly, that he has become a blathering idiot. He failed with John McCain and will fail again with all others. He is a total loser. @MarshaBlackburn is a Tennessee Star, a highly respected WINNER!

The response is a superb, almost surgical dissection of everything Drumph...

You've never beaten me at anything. This is our first dance. @realDonaldTrump. Did you like #covita. @ProjectLincoln. @TheRickWilson@stuartpstevens@reedgalen. We are so much better at this than your team of crooks, wife beaters, degenerates, weirdos and losers. You are losing.

We heard you loved Evita. You saw it so many times. Where will you live out your years in disgrace? Will you buy Epstein's island? One last extra special deal from him? Or will you be drooling on yourself in a suite at Walter Reed? Maybe you will be in prison?

I bet you fear that. @ManhattanDA may not be around to cover for you or your crooked kids anymore. @elizaorlins doesn't believe in different sets of rules for the Trump's. What about the State AG? You know what you've done. Oh Donald. @realDonaldTrump who do you owe almost $500 million in personally guaranteed loans to? Its' all coming down. You think you and your disgusting family are going to be in deal flow next year? Are you really that delusional?

You are lucky Chris Wallace interrupted you after @JoeBiden said you @realDonaldTrump weren't smart. You started to melt down. That's the place that hurts the most. Right? Fred SR knew it. You've spent your whole life proving it. You aren't very smart. You couldn't take the SAT's on your own. What was the real score? 970? We both know you know. Are the steroids wearing off? Is the Euphoria fading? Do you feel foggy? Tired? Do you ache? How is the breathing? Hmmm. Are you watching TV today @realDonaldTrump. We will have some nice surprises for you. Everyone is laughing at you. You are a joke. A splendid moron turned deadly clown.

Did you watch @MarthaMcSally in her debate against American hero, fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut @CaptMarkKelly. She is so embarrassed by you. She is ashamed and full of self loathing for the choice she made in following you over the cliff. She is in free fall now. She will lose; like most of them, because of you @realDonaldTrump. We hear from the WH and the campaign every day. They are betraying you. They are looking to get out alive and salvage careers and their names. It's @IvankaTrump and @jaredkushner vs @DonaldJTrumpJr and @kimguilfoyle on the inside. They are at war over scraps and who gets to command what will be the remnants of your rancid cult. It's almost over now. You are the greatest failure in American history @realDonaldTrump.

You are the worst President in American History. Disgrace will always precede your name. Your Grandchildren and great grandchildren will grow up ashamed of their names. One day I suppose there will be some small and not much visited library that bears your name. It will be the type of place where a drunk walks by, staring at the wall for a minute, before deciding it is beneath his dignity to piss on. @realDonaldTrump That's what is waiting for you. @ProjectLincoln.

@JoeBiden is a better man. He's smarter. He's winning. Do you remember when you didn't want to name @DonaldJTrumpJr Donald because you were worried about him being a loser named Donald. You were right about that. He is. But it is you @realDonaldTrump who will be remembered as America's greatest loser. You will be crushed in the election. Shhhhhhhh

From Trump: crickets.

https://boingboing.net/2020/10/08/trump-poked-at-the-lincoln-project-and-was-immediately-blowtorched-to-a-cinder.html