Miss Ellsworth
Jason KintOh good grief. Listen, I’ll try to keep this short but let’s all skip the surprise, it only hacks attention for Musk’s decision. This was obviously coming. There are Facebook lessons here, too. It paves way for Facebook to bring him back in early 2023. Facebook just wants to pretend they’re deliberating. They’re not, just like Musk, they’ve planned their next steps well in advance. /1
The issue isn’t entirely reinstating Trump but doing it in a flippant manner based on a twitter poll. That’s a slap in the face to researchers and civil society globally who have spent many years studying the policies and issues brought on by unaccountable social media platforms and their core biz model of amplifying microtargeted content. /2
Users could always post to the internet with various accounts and increasingly less friction. That’s not new. What was new was the velocity and reach brought by the platform’s targeted amplification. Yes the “issues” from limited controls on this have ranged from child endangerment to harassment and hate speed to insurrection to even genocide so yes this is all very serious. Not something to decide with a twitter poll. /3
Facebook’s ceo Zuckerberg once compared his platform - the one he alone controls - to a government. Twitter was an independent platform failing to compete with Zuckerberg’s monopoly. You’ve now witnessed a coup of the Twitter “government” for a little over $40B. And the platforms decisions are now being leveraged for political power. It was a scandal when it’s been done overseas. He’s doing it right now transparently for the world to see. /4
Facebook has also proven that stakeholders really have no leverage over it - we’ve seen boycotts and threats from advertisers, governments, consumers, very very bad press coverage. Nothing slowed it. It took a larger platform, Apple, to kneecap it by limiting Facebook’s consumer privacy abuses and surveillance advertising business while also serving civil society. /5
Finally, to the tech press, do not for a minute cover the “will he or won’t he rejoin Twitter?” from Trump based on his stupid video saying he doesn’t want to come back. He’s programming you like prime time TV. You’re better than this. /6
So again, the news isn’t the reinstatement or whether DJT will actually come back. But it’s the manner in which Musk is doing it in the context of the total chaos he’s causing. It’s profoundly important and utterly irresponsible to operate this way. /7
And yes, if you haven’t had a chance to see this two minutes on the god complex that’s filling the void of institutional trust and a need for idols. You’re watching it. /8 https://twitter.com/jason_kint/status/1593067105670557697?s=46&t=gMj0GM89qvtx02aQut5pOg
Dave Troy 
@jasonkint yes, the point of this all is to challenge governments, and particularly fiat currency.
https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/07/musks-twitter-buy-makes-no-sense-unless-its-part-of-something-bigger/
https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/07/musks-twitter-buy-makes-no-sense-unless-its-part-of-something-bigger/
againstcriminalsincongressia
HiFi@jasonkint can we discuss who has access to what user data as well?
Tristram Baumber@jasonkint It was the manner in which the decision was made, rather than the decision itself, that made up my mind for me. I don't want to be part of such a haphazard platform.
Hugh Raine@tritbaumber @jasonkint
A poll run on his account of largely right-leaning fanboys and fake accounts.
DOES HE THINK WE'RE STUPID?
A poll run on his account of largely right-leaning fanboys and fake accounts.
DOES HE THINK WE'RE STUPID?
Sabrina Sunshine @jasonkint Nothing I've seen so far convinces me the mainstream press -tech or otherwise - is "better than this". They cover the trainwreck because they're attention whores who are rewarded for their bad faith "reporting" with clicks and follows from the Birderatti,who seem to prefer sleaze to substance.
Dan Ratner@jasonkint this is key, and in many ways is a parallel to gun ownership. You could always get a weapon if you really wanted, but there was a lot of friction. Now teenagers can trivially buy assault rifles. It’s why I’ve heard a lot of observers say social media is to the first amendment what the AR15 is to the second.
Sweetsunray@jasonkint Since Musk took control over Twitter, I’ve regarded him as a one man rogue nation. And it’s clear that he considers himself in a similar way (since he proposed Ukraine should give up land to Russia for peace). He didn’t really have his own country, but he has the value of a small nation’s GDP.
Grandma’s High Again 🙄@jasonkint It’s always “we” when narcissists think they might get in trouble but “I alone” when they expect praise.He wants to share the blame for the fallout.
Jeff Enderwick@jasonkint twitter became a monarchy
An Extreme Sense of Wellbeing@jasonkint nah the issue is reinstating him. It was never based on a poll.
Dan Shick@jasonkint seriously, who is truly surprised here? people are performing surprise because they, quite understandably, feel a lack of control and don’t know what to do next.
what they should do is help make our social media site robust and long-lasting:
- respect the rules of your instance
- tip your admins
- mute, block, report in that order
- never tolerate fascists
what they should do IRL:
- protest
- protect other people
- stay informed
other ideas?
wellactually@datn @jasonkint - I saw they reinstated him so I logged out & deleted the app off my phone. Zero engagement. In the ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it’ way, the only way to deal with social media not being socially responsible is to cease engagement on the platform, imho.
@wellactually @jasonkint to be clear, my comments referred to the fediverse and not the birdsite