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Post by 2Loftus on Nov 19, 2024 10:54:17 GMT
Out of interest, when the thread started 4 days ago, Bluesky was reportedly delighted that sudden growth in the last few weeks pushed it over a million users. Four days on they're over 20 million users. I'd agree with those who say that broadly, the Right will stay on Twatter and the Left move to Bluesky. People's 'truth' will be what they want it to be. But as for Twatter being a platform for 'free speech', well, is it really? To the extent that you can say what you want, perhaps. But the fact that Musk's algorithms control what gains traction and what gets sidelined makes me believe it's not a level playing field at all. Anyway, I'll keep a foot in both camps - always entertaining to see what the rabid-right fascists are fulminating about...  |
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Post by hubble on Nov 19, 2024 11:19:26 GMT
It's worth noting that before Musk took over, twitter was excessively censorious and completely mainstream orthodox/left leaning. This meant that all sorts of people that I follow were constantly being banned or suspended simply for expressing views that did not conform to the prevailing governmental propaganda. This was especially true during the lockdowns. It was a heinous level of censorship and I myself had posts removed and/or got threatened with account suspension. What was even more chilling was that exactly the same level and kind of proscription was being enacted on facebook and instagram; in other words there was almost complete control of social media to a level Stalin would have been envious of.
Whether you love him or loathe him, Musk broke this heinous hegemony over free speech, which IMHO has been to the benefit of everyone. I agree that twitter is far from perfect, but it provides an essential service to those who do not wish to conform to mainstream orthodoxy.
As for bluesky, I have already read that people have had posts removed or accounts suspended in exactly the same way as twitter pre-Musk, and this makes me think it's yet another echo chamber for certain opinions that conform to prescribed orthodoxy.
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Post by Stanley75 on Nov 19, 2024 11:34:48 GMT
as for Twatter being a platform for 'free speech', well, is it really? To the extent that you can say what you want, perhaps. But the fact that Musk's algorithms control what gains traction and what gets sidelined makes me believe it's not a level playing field at all. Musk has actually proposed making the algorithms open-source so the public can scrutinise them. It's also implemented the Community Notes function to counter misinformation And as Hubble mentions, X has options to sort content chronologically, follow specific accounts, and mute or block content you don't want to engage with. So you can shape your experience rather than relying on algorithms. As previously mentioned, its perceived bias is a counterbalance to the left-leaning tendencies of other major platforms (YouTube, Google, Facebook, Instagram). By ensuring right-leaning opinions have a space too, it contributes to a more balanced ecosystem. However, if you're interested in platforms whose main purpose is to provide genuinely balanced news and opinion, check out ones like theweek.com/uk , inews.co.uk and fullfact.org Personally, I mainly use those these days. |
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