Esther Payne Jan 11, 2021
Thing is we all gave twitter and Facebook that power, it wasn't just VCs. We joined up to connect with other people without realising what it meant. We have centralised our discourse on a few platforms. This is why #decentralization +federation is better. @joinmastodon
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RT @ggreenwald
Prior to Chancellor Merkel's warnings about the dangers of Silicon Valley censorship in the context of the Trump ban, Mexico's President AMLO issued a…
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1348740714084102145
Glenn Greenwald on Twitter

“Prior to Chancellor Merkel's warnings about the dangers of Silicon Valley censorship in the context of the Trump ban, Mexico's President AMLO issued an even harsher warning about how dangerous it is for tech monopolies to control online speech: https://t.co/AUFiT7CXcL”

Twitter
Show threadFree Pietje 🇵🇸 🍉Jan 12, 2021

@onepict
You made a (imo) crucial addition to the points Glenn made on 

He's also fatalistic in portraying that there is nothing we can do about it. And then mentions an example using another (near) monopolist: AWS.

I've send several emails to The Intercept asking them for a presence on FOSS platforms/fediverse, but they still haven't. They're only (afaik) on Twitter/FB/Instagram/YT, thereby contributing to the very problem he's now complaining about.

#SiliconSix

Show threadEsther Payne Jan 12, 2021
@FreePietje
As for the intercept and other media outlets I feel that it's their MO to portray the view that there's not much we can do. Bad news sells better than good news.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJan 12, 2021

@onepict @FreePietje

I think the "bad news sells better" depends a lot on demographics of target audience.

Maybe true for edgelord types who thrive on chaos/conflict but if anything mainstream media (especially faced with a global plague) is trying to increasingly insert "feel good" filler stories amongst all the hard news.

The Grauniad is quite notorious for this but my local papers (Archant) are doing it loads recently as well..

Show threadEsther Payne Jan 12, 2021
@vfrmedia
We need more than feel good filler though. I feel we need hard truths with the benefits of hard decisions accurately reported on. Which is a difficult balance, especially when you not only have demographic but a character to the type of news outlet that you portray yourself to be. It's why the news reports on parler more than it would on Mastodon, other than a few pieces whining that Masto isn't twitter.
@FreePietje
Show threadEsther Payne 
@vfrmedia @FreePietje
People have an appetite for different news sources though, like the intercept and in politics the National in Scotland as some Scots felt most of the media didn't report on Scottish things accurately. They don't trust the MSM. The status quo can be upended. But it takes time and alot of patience.
Jan 12, 2021 at 12:18pmWeb
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJan 12, 2021

@onepict @FreePietje

the problem I see is it often genuinely looks like angrier right wing types are more mentally resillient at dealing with "hard news" and conflict (whether they are /physically/ resillient is debatable given that 2 simply keeled over during the Capitol riots)

IRL I know so many younger people (who are otherwise politicially left leaning) who avoid any kind of news (even reading about crime or road traffic incident in local paper) because there is "too much bad news" >>

Show threadEsther Payne Jan 12, 2021
@vfrmedia
I'm not sure it's resiliance or a developed lack of empathy. Sometimes I find the news too much to take. But then I get back on the horse. Because we need to keep an eye on the world. Otherwise others aren't held to account when they should be. We need accurate information so that we can do so. Especially with politics and the challenges of climate change and Covid-19.
@FreePietje
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJan 12, 2021

@onepict

my day job is in healthcare supporting frontline workers so "hard situations" are not something I can ever escape from, although I do have some sympathy for younger generations many of whom had fairly stable/secure childhoods and were promised a lot of opportunities, none of which are currently easily attainable (although other than the plague the situation isn't unlike growing up in the 1980s)

@FreePietje

Show threadFree Pietje 🇵🇸 🍉Jan 12, 2021

@vfrmedia
At first my reaction was "yeah, suck it up, shit happens", but then I realized that 1 year "putting your life on hold" has a FAR bigger impact on a 15 y/o then f.e. a 50 y/o. Not only is it percentage wise much larger, at/around 15 your life is in the development stage and therefor what you then experience has a much bigger impact on you(r life) then when you're 50.

I still think we need these drastic measures, but I do have (much) more empathy for young people.

@onepict

Show threadFree Pietje 🇵🇸 🍉Jan 12, 2021

@vfrmedia
I can (somewhat) relate to that. I was a 'news junkie', but cut down on that drastically. I have some real/serious critiques on the reporting of the news by most channels, but mostly it was giving me anxiety/stress and it usually wasn't helpful to be apprised of 'everything'.

This, together with "Anything that you pay attention to, grows" are imo the main reason I stopped grinding my teeth.

Another factor is general loss of trust in institutions (not entirely unwarranted)

@onepict