snispsJul 9, 2023
Annalee Newitz 🍜
I am a tech nerd and commentator who jumps on every new social media thing but I have absolutely no interest in the non-organic, autotuned community McMansion that is Threads. Seriously, do we really need another product from the "we didn't invent fascism, we just give the people what they want" company?
Jul 9, 2023 at 12:49amWeb
Show threadJennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊Jul 9, 2023

@annaleen
Whether we need it or not, whether we want it or not, they'll force it upon the public anyway, and then try and pretend that we were asking for it all along.

When the fact that it doesn't allow you to curate your own timeline is the least objectionable aspect of the whole thing, I feel it'd be no great stretch to shut it down and seal the whole thing off with 'This Is Not A Place of Honour' on it as a warning to future social media architects.

Show threadAnnalee Newitz 🍜Jul 9, 2023
@theogrin I wish we could just meet it with total indifference, like we did with the metaverse
Show threadJennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊Jul 9, 2023
@annaleen
I expect it to flame out fast. I think that's probably the best we can hope for, though...
Show threadLaureJul 9, 2023
@annaleen no they did spin up fascism by giving the keys to their platforms to networks of opaque click scammers and info operators often backed by powerful special interests like Mercers/ #Bannon, #breitbart, #fox etc who “flooded the zone” astroturfing extremism and #conspiracy, stirring up ignorant #MAGA-t mobs. This method and channels proliferated. #Propaganda works. #disinformation works.
#facebook #meta #Zuckerberg #elonmusk #Twitter
Show threadᗰᗩᖇǤᗴ against Putin #NAFOJul 9, 2023
@HenningBuergerheringsburger
Show threadDark and and StormyJul 9, 2023

@LaureM @annaleen #Socialmedia was doomed from the very beginning 😩 with Peter Thiel being the first one to invest money into the company of a young Mark Zuckerberg.

Thiels influence behind the scenes of #facebook must have been huge, being a board member for lots of years and the one man that Zuckerberg owes his entire career to.
https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-nft-sell-offs-gop-candidates-arizona-ohio-report-2022-1?op=1

Peter Thiel using NFT sell-offs to boost preferred GOP candidates: report

After donating $10 million apiece to super PACs backing Masters and Vance, Thiel has remained intimately involved in fundraising for both campaigns.

Insider
Show threadMrCopilotJul 9, 2023

@annaleen There is a quote here somewhere <rifles through closed tabs>

“There are more than enough amazing communities—sports, music, fashion, beauty, entertainment, etc—to make a vibrant platform without needing to get into politics or hard news,” he said, later adding: “We won't discourage or down-rank news or politics, we just won't court them the way we have in the past.”
-Instagram Head Adam Mosseri

"THEM" is doing very heavy lifting in that sentence.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/threads-we-dont-need-hard-news-or-politics-on-our-platform

Threads: We Don't Need Hard News or Politics on Our Platform

Like Twitter, Threads wants to be a public square, but with less angry discourse, according to Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri.

PCMag
Show threadhseldonJul 9, 2023
@annaleen it is just too big to ignore.
Show threadSpeakerToManagersJul 9, 2023
@annaleen
No we don’t. Facebook by any other name smells like shit. Ask the Uyghurs.
Show threadK. Tempest BradfordJul 9, 2023
@annaleen THIS! I do not get why AN EE ONE is hopping on it.
Show threadEmilyJul 9, 2023
@annaleen I'm really hoping it goes the way of Google+. What's the appeal? All the things people hate about instagram but with words
Show threadRich Stroffolino OLD ACCOUNTJul 9, 2023
@annaleen the level of resignation to Threads is truly remarkable (which I think Meta itself seems a little surprised by).
Show threadRich Stroffolino OLD ACCOUNTJul 9, 2023
@annaleen but like just when I think we might have reached an inflection point where people are again thinking of how to build communities and reconsidering what social media should be, everyone’s just happy to be in the prepopulated place
Show threadanothercultlandJul 9, 2023
@annaleen keep preaching this, please 👏👏👏
Show threadleading cackle influencerJul 9, 2023
@annaleen "autotuned community McMansion" is essentially my main beef with The Web Today
Show threadknapjackJul 9, 2023
@annaleen I have dabbled out of curiosity. It's frenetic, an illusion of fun. Already it's more spam than friends.

This place is actually fun.

Show threadtaylor hatmakerJul 9, 2023
@annaleen the people demand fascism so we made it easier to connect with fascists in their local community
Show threadEli Rivera 🍉Jul 9, 2023
@annaleen this!!! 👆🏽
Show threadPhilip John BasileJul 9, 2023
@annaleen reminds me of Google Plus.
Show threadAnnalee Newitz 🍜Jul 9, 2023
@philipjohnbasile Same
Show threadrub1sc0Jul 9, 2023
@annaleen I'm so confused by Meta. I thought they already had a social media app called facebook. I'm also confused by Elon. I thought he had a social media app called clubhouse. How did the twitter/threads fight even begin?
Show threadzeruchJul 9, 2023
@annaleen I'm kind of just waiting for it to play footsie with the Fediverse such that I can push stuff TO it from here, like giving a diseased body medicinal content. #HopeSpringsEternal
Show threadHeddersJul 9, 2023
@annaleen “autotuned community McMansion” is a glorious turn of phrase. Bravo!
Show threadJohn ColagioiaJul 9, 2023
@annaleen The entire enterprise feels like a weak SNL skit. "We're creating Instagram, but for text. Also, moderation is hard and despite being one of the wealthiest companies on the planet, it's going to take a few years to figure out how to not have calls for ethnic cleansing or election disinformation. And we're holding your other account hostage. Oh, and to future-proof it, we're going to join the system that...already exists and works better, eventually."
Show threadGarrett LatimerJul 9, 2023
@annaleen I guess people are just that dopamine-addled, like the rat with a joywire in its brain.
Show threadVoronJul 9, 2023
@annaleen It’s pretty much going full tilt here. With FB, Twitter, right wing radio, Fox News and CNN being owned by Malone turning it into fox lite, we are like 2 minutes from midnight and tens of millions are just like “hey what’s on Netflix, when is the next IPhone coming out, what’s being released on STEAM?”