Sammie Rae Stephens
Jeff KosseffI began regularly tweeting in 2019, first just to promote my books. This month I decided to stop tweeting not for any political reason or to make a statement, but because the product had degraded. My feed was filled with a bunch of nonsense that wasn’t fun to wade through. As a consumer (and content creator), I decided to go elsewhere. And that is exactly how it should be: platforms should be free to decide how to moderate, and consumers should be free to decide whether to go elsewhere.
One person suggested that I left Twitter because I don’t value free speech. That is not the case. Twitter can decide what speech to distribute. And I can decide whether I want to read that speech.
toxtethogrady@jkosseff I left Twitter because they don't value free speech. They showed it by kicking me off. But conservatives consider free speech to apply only to them, which is why I don't believe them when they complain about not having it...
Dan Kennedy@jkosseff Every one of us who left Twitter got that, along with "good riddance, snowflake." (I still use it for DMs with a few people who seem not to have discovered email.)
ThinkingSapienI get the impression some conflate A few things together concerning expression when speaking about "Free speech." That free speech is composed of
*-A right to create or speak an expression
*-A duty to host or convey that expression
*-A duty to listen
Ari Cohn@jkosseff the theater was too on fire for you, huh Jeff
Half Cocked Law
Lizard
Steve Downey
dingodog@jkosseff Too many people believe free speech implies an obligation on someone else to listen
Frank Bennett 🇯🇵@jkosseff Free speech absolutism meets bounded rationality is the new Bambi Meets Godzilla.
Mark@jkosseff So many people have told me I must hate free speech if I don't use Twitter. Thinking on it, they may have a point. I dislike listening to conspiracy theories, hate, racism, and bullying and I also dislike having to constantly wonder which of my posts are going to attract the vitriol of the horde. So in that frame of mind, Yes, I do hate "free speech".
Pre Musk:
The Usual Suspects: My rights am violated by Twitter! Me sue for vile ashuns uv things!
Sane People: Twitter is a private company. If you don't like its moderation, you can go somewhere else.
Post-Musk;
The Usual Suspects: ha ha lol Musk unblox natzis, whachoo gonna do NOW? 'Go somewhere else'? Hurr!"
Sane People: Yup. (Go somewhere else.)
The Usual Suspects: No am possy bulls have consistent princy pals! U am hate freedumb!
Cary Hall@jkosseff Content moderation was the product.
Badtux the Snarky Penguin@jkosseff This. Twitter kept presenting voices to me that I did not wish to read, voices of division and hate. I realized I was spending more time blocking those evil people than enjoying Twitter, so left for a platform where I choose what's on my timeline, not some "algorithm".
Andrew Leahey
KilleansRow 🇺🇲 🇺🇦🍀@jkosseff
Humanity extends well beyond a mission, or being a content creator or consumer. We are all so much more. It's not that those things are not important, just that a challenging journey often cannot be a solo flight and a skilled path often requires other people.If hell be other people that lonely table in the corner is the only option and that is just ridiculous.#OTOH it is hilarious that we come to #Mastodon like the house burned down & it's just us & a shopping cart
Humanity extends well beyond a mission, or being a content creator or consumer. We are all so much more. It's not that those things are not important, just that a challenging journey often cannot be a solo flight and a skilled path often requires other people.If hell be other people that lonely table in the corner is the only option and that is just ridiculous.#OTOH it is hilarious that we come to #Mastodon like the house burned down & it's just us & a shopping cart
Dusty Beo@jkosseff Day One of the new acquisition, it was a palpable change 😥
Agora@jkosseff I was kicked off Twitter a bunch of times for saying horrible words against Republicans. Each time they kicked me off, I created a new account to get back there. Musk took over, they kicked me off for insulting Musk’s father and evading suspension. I didn’t bother going back. I didn’t miss it. I still don’t miss the Musk cesspool to this day