I'll bet my experience was common. I got suspended for making fun of how Meryl Streep had referred to Harvey Weinstein as "God". Yes, I'm serious. I got suspended.
Then a short whle later I got suspended for calling Gavin Newsom a "sport". Yes, that's the achingly hateful, dangerous to democracy term I used. Then I got suspended at the beginning of the covid hysteria, for repeatedly reporting the number of covid deaths in the county where I live.
I also noticed that up till I had about 1,000 followers, if I posted a clever tweet or reply I'd get a bunch more followers. After that, nothing I did would move the needle. I wasn't desperate for twitter notoriety but it was pretty obvious that twitter was pretty destperate to keep anyone with a perspective different from theirs from getting noticed. Just one of the many false things about twitter.
Another was the fake followings of mainstream media dullards. 3rd string media figures would supposedly have 300,000 followers but when they posted a tweet they'd get 11 responses or something like that, numbers incongruous with the scope of their supposed following. Take away the bots from people like Brian Stelter and they'd have fewer followers than some lady in Dubuqe who does unusual origami.
They never quite kicked me off twitter so officialy I'm probably still counted as a user. It was just impossible to actually use the site.
If Elon is successful in eliminating them, at a stroke the fake followings of media figures and influencers will be stripped away. It will be obvious to everyone that no one likes them or cares what they have to say.
I'm don't know what Musk will do if he succeeds in taking over Twitter. I'm not even sure that's what he is really after. Study Musk and you see he is very good at drawing attention and making money. He's not been a champion of free speech or "conservative principles" overtly, up until now. He has more in common with the tech establishment he now appears to buck than he has differences, at least in his past. He built Tesla on political correctness of EVs over actual environmental science. Brilliant in so many ways, including as a showman, salesman, and perhaps next as a politician.
Will Twitter under Musk become the open, tolerant free speech platform so many seem to fear? The wild wild west of the internet (like the internet truly was when he made his first 22 million)? Will it become Musk's private podium ala Bloomberg? I don't know. But I'm sure it will be entertaining to watch.
I'm not active on Twitter but I'm loving the energy this has created. All the right people are upset and the popcorn tastes delicious.
I am mining salt and sprinkling it liberally on the popcorn.
I have not paid much attention to twitter or tweets, until now. Musk has made it more interesting to watch.
Be careful with the soy butter tears... because: soy.
I'll bet my experience was common. I got suspended for making fun of how Meryl Streep had referred to Harvey Weinstein as "God". Yes, I'm serious. I got suspended.
Then a short whle later I got suspended for calling Gavin Newsom a "sport". Yes, that's the achingly hateful, dangerous to democracy term I used. Then I got suspended at the beginning of the covid hysteria, for repeatedly reporting the number of covid deaths in the county where I live.
I also noticed that up till I had about 1,000 followers, if I posted a clever tweet or reply I'd get a bunch more followers. After that, nothing I did would move the needle. I wasn't desperate for twitter notoriety but it was pretty obvious that twitter was pretty destperate to keep anyone with a perspective different from theirs from getting noticed. Just one of the many false things about twitter.
Another was the fake followings of mainstream media dullards. 3rd string media figures would supposedly have 300,000 followers but when they posted a tweet they'd get 11 responses or something like that, numbers incongruous with the scope of their supposed following. Take away the bots from people like Brian Stelter and they'd have fewer followers than some lady in Dubuqe who does unusual origami.
They never quite kicked me off twitter so officialy I'm probably still counted as a user. It was just impossible to actually use the site.
That point about bots is a very important one.
If Elon is successful in eliminating them, at a stroke the fake followings of media figures and influencers will be stripped away. It will be obvious to everyone that no one likes them or cares what they have to say.
And that will be that for their influence.
I'm don't know what Musk will do if he succeeds in taking over Twitter. I'm not even sure that's what he is really after. Study Musk and you see he is very good at drawing attention and making money. He's not been a champion of free speech or "conservative principles" overtly, up until now. He has more in common with the tech establishment he now appears to buck than he has differences, at least in his past. He built Tesla on political correctness of EVs over actual environmental science. Brilliant in so many ways, including as a showman, salesman, and perhaps next as a politician.
Will Twitter under Musk become the open, tolerant free speech platform so many seem to fear? The wild wild west of the internet (like the internet truly was when he made his first 22 million)? Will it become Musk's private podium ala Bloomberg? I don't know. But I'm sure it will be entertaining to watch.