Watching people on Twitter

[Fambo Number Mive]

I left Twitter years ago and I've been considering re-joining recently, but I am put off when noticing how obnoxious people are on there.

In particular, dismissing people who have different opinions to their own but with few followers as a "bot". I often use Twitter search to look for news on what is happening with the government, Brexit etc but I think debating on Twitter must be quite stressful.

Are you on Twitter and what other things have you noticed about Twitter debate?

[SpiderChrist]

I got my account suspended for regularly using the word "cunt".

Twitter's a fucking cesspit. Of cunts.

[Barry Admin]

It's garbage and has made the planet a worse place to be, overall. I always find it amazing how much shit people will take from them, too. Like I have to keep my mouth shut a lot on here, because even just saying that it's my site and I want to run it as I see fit - in response to someone genuinely not understanding that - causes people to leave in a huff.

Whereas Twitter can do whatever the fuck and people will eat shit and beg for seconds. I remember a CC thread a while ago where I was highly amused that someone had changed her screen name to 'Please get all the Nazis off Twitter", probably with a hash tag. People never seem to instead think "maybe I shouldn't share a platform with nazis and paedos and Isis."

How about a platform that lets you advertise to them?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51112238

And still people won't give a tin shit, because the validation of retweets and follower numbers is far more fucking important.

[idunnosomename]

Too many people talk about themselves incessantly and don't believe they can be wrong about anything. It is a bad thing.

[Captain Z]

You'd be better off just having a good old stare out of the window.

[the]

I've never wanted anything to do with it. If you're used to forum-based online discussion, it's clear how it's just a much shitter 'Playskool' version of that, which favours barking-out bulletins rather than discussion. Boring narcissist's playground.

The problem is (hot take coming) I'm been biting my lip a lot lately because CaB seems fucking obsessed with it. There are a few threads in CC dedicated to hawkishly watching certain (boring) people's Twitter feeds, as if that spectator sport is a worthy successor to the discussion of comedy.

There are also loads of CaB posts every day with this format:

Looks like (person) is jumping on the bandwagon/up to their old tricks:

<link to their Twitter>

Which is shit for a variety of reasons, but mainly that it insists that a more interesting/detailed commentary is happening seperately elsewhere (very unlikely), plus it drives traffic to some cunt's spouting - fuelling the popularity/profile of said twat and the shitty platform, and acting as effective confirmation of either thing being any good.

The concerning thing is, I think the increasing penetration of Twitter into CaB is signalling people's desire for a conversion away from the 'forum' way of discussing things and just acting as a white flag.

[H-O-W-L]

It's garbage and has made the planet a worse place to be, overall. I always find it amazing how much shit people will take from them, too. Like I have to keep my mouth shut a lot on here, because even just saying that it's my site and I want to run it as I see fit - in response to someone genuinely not understanding that - causes people to leave in a huff.

I don't wanna sound condescending but as someone who's run a lot of communities in the past myself really that's their fucking problem, and I don't say that to suck you off, I say it because I've seen other front-runners bend over and take it lubeless from psychopathic pricks who know how to capitalize on that fear of overstepping boundaries.  It's way easier for bellends who want to abuse the structure of power to manipulate mods/admins when they let their apprehension do it for them.

It's why the shorthand 'FOC' started being used in my old community for how I'd deal with people (IE telling them 'fuck off cunt') who would do the same sort of flounce.

[H-O-W-L]

As for Twitter, I myself use it to stalk artists and bugger all else. Occasionally I shit out my own art or ask a question of someone public who uses Twitter (usually video game youtubers, sad as that sounds) but for the most part I think it's shit for cunts.

[Kryton]

I got my account suspended for regularly using the word "cunt".

Twitter's a fucking cesspit. Of cunts.

Same.

[Barry Admin]

I don't wanna sound condescending but as someone who's run a lot of communities in the past myself really that's their fucking problem, and I don't say that to suck you off, I say it because I've seen other front-runners bend over and take it lubeless from psychopathic pricks who know how to capitalize on that fear of overstepping boundaries.  It's way easier for bellends who want to abuse the structure of power to manipulate mods/admins when they let their apprehension do it for them.

It's why the shorthand 'FOC' started being used in my old community for how I'd deal with people (IE telling them 'fuck off cunt') who would do the same sort of flounce.

Yeah I know, it's just part of it for me though. I will never fully engage with CaB the same way the rest of you do because I'm the boss as well as a poster, and the power dynamic means I have to be aware that my words can have more impact and such.

But I'm a lot better about being forceful, even though I still feel I have to compromise a lot and tolerate the style of thread I hate (what are you reading/watching etc threads in the media forums being the main low level irritations.)

One thing I'm currently cracking down on is the continual discussion and referencing of banned members on here. Some of these cunts have spent upto FIFTEEN YEARS being harassing bastards on here, or to me personally, and it's got to the stage of police records and really destructive legal threats and even trying to use my hospitalisation to cause more drama and such...and I can't really mention stuff like that on here much for various reasons, and then I come in and literally every day I read "hey remember FUCKHEAD, who we all hated? I kind of miss FUCKHEAD, anyone else? Hey let's go and see what they're saying on Twitter, and just generally constantly provide them the narcissistic supply any FUCKHEAD desperately craves, so they come back, and then we can complain about how the damn mod won't ban these fucking trolls!"

So there's that. (sorry, been repressing a rant since temp banning someone at 3am )

[Barry Admin]

The problem is (hot take coming) I'm been biting my lip a lot lately because CaB seems fucking obsessed with it. There are a few threads in CC dedicated to hawkishly watching certain (boring) people's Twitter feeds, as if that spectator sport is a worthy successor to the discussion of comedy.

I'm one of the main culprits here, and I do become fascinated by lolcows for sure, but also find it really intriguing to see the actual attitudes and beliefs a lot of comedians hold.

I take your point though for sure, and get similarly fucked off by the BBC and other media outlets constantly building lazy articles around "what some cunt said on Twitter."

But yeah, I'd love to see CC go back to the glory period after when the cunts fucked off, and it became home to really interesting long-form discussion.

The concerning thing is, I think the increasing penetration of Twitter into CaB is signalling people's desire for a conversion away from the 'forum' way of discussing things and just acting as a white flag.

I think internet discourse is just generally fucked, yes, and people are more about wanting to center themselves rather than giving much attention to what others have to say. It's why I try and keep a focus on long-form, in-depth discussion on CaB - and urge people to start new threads - but that kind of posting slipped somewhat since Facebook and Twitter started, and people have become accustomed to giving "status updates."  And I personally went to reqd conversation, rather than updates.

[H-O-W-L]

Yeah I know, it's just part of it for me though. I will never fully engage with CaB the same way the rest of you do because I'm the boss as well as a poster, and the power dynamic means I have to be aware that my words can have more impact and such.

I empathize with that. Trees whose shade etc...

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

<gif response>

[Barry Admin]

Wee addendum: I think those Twitter threads are throwing up some bloody great tangents and talking points in CC! I haven't been as engaged with the place for ages, although mostly because my hyperactivity has made it almost impossible to watch or listen to any comedy or media for aaaaaaaaagggggeeesssss.

[Barry Admin]

I empathize with that. Trees whose shade etc...

Realistically, it's not all bad though. People give me leeway, which I need, as I'm a bit of a nightmare/cunt.

Anyway I'm really excited to be getting back to working on the place now, there's a lot to do!

[Cuellar]

It's absolutely made the world worse, and makes my day worse every time I happen to look at it.

Someone linked to a tweet just now, so I clicked on it, and then saw 'Laurence Fox' trending - oh that's interesting, wonder why - oh look he's been a prick on Question Time, there's a surprise, and oh look there's hundreds of cunts supporting him for 'destroying loony left indentitarian agenda' that's really improved my mood, that has. I feel so calm and happy.

[idunnosomename]

To be fair the problem there is Question Time

[Cuellar]

Yes, that I find easier to avoid however. I need a way to check twitter without going on twitter. I did set up an IFTTT thing to dump Limmy's tweets into a google sheet, but then it becomes huge and unwieldy.

[Blue Jam]

I recently returned to posting on Twitter. During the election campaign someone mentioned Nadine Dorries defending Boris Johnson and denying he'd done something or other, and I tweeted a flippant comment like "I wouldn't trust Mad Nads". I got a few very angry replies along the lines of "SO I SUPPOSE YOU LOVE JESS PHILLIPS EH?". I am an SNP voter and have never actually voted Labour...

I also sent a polite reply to a journalist whose work I had previously enjoyed when I saw her joining in with the bullshit Harry and Meghan speculation and got an angry reply from someone claiming I had "been taken in by an ACTRESS" or something.

Just a couple of stupid flippant comments about things which interested me a bit but don't bother me all that much and in the grand scheme of things mean fuck-all, so why the angry replies and people taking their time to try and "prove" me wrong or whatever? When I'm just a stranger and a nobody on the internet? It's weird. Do people just assume everyone else is as angry as them and care as much as they do?

I've also started to find the Twitter feed itself a bit pointless. It used to consist exclusively of tweets from people I actually followed, and I would only see tweets from people I didn't follow if people I did follow retweeted them. Now it's all "Jeremy Corbyn and 5 others follow": and a tweet from Piers Morgan I never signed up to see, or "LNER liked": and a tweet from Gary Lineker I never signed up to see. I keep muting accounts I don't follow but they keep popping up. I used to find Twitter pretty interesting and useful back in the day, now it's just noise.

Oh yes, and the "Who to follow" section taking up more space in the feed. No, I don't want to follow Stephen Fry, fuck off.

[Barry Admin]

Yes, they're getting better and better at the algorithms. I found my personality actually changed over time while I was on Twitter, and not for the better.

I recall this C4 interview being interesting https://youtu.be/kc_Jq42Og7Q - "how social media ruins you life."

A lot of discussion about how the algorithms shape you as a consumer.

Any big fuss or walkouts given we now know Twitter allow advertiser's to target neonazis and such? Because that sure as hell explains why they're so reticent to ban them.

[Egyptian Feast]

I've also started to find the Twitter feed itself a bit pointless. It used to consist exclusively of tweets from people I actually followed, and I would only see tweets from people I didn't follow if people I did follow retweeted them. Now it's all "Jeremy Corbyn and 5 others follow": and a tweet from Piers Morgan I never signed up to see, or "LNER liked": and a tweet from Gary Lineker I never signed up to see. I keep muting accounts I don't follow but they keep popping up. I used to find Twitter pretty interesting and useful back in the day, now it's just noise.

You can switch that off on the app if you click the stars on the top right of the page and select the option to see your timeline in chronological order, so you should only see tweets and retweets from people you follow, none of this 'Person you formerly had respect for liked this incredibly stupid tweet' shite. It sometimes reverts back to the 'Top tweets' timeline after there's been an update, but you always have the option to turn it off.

[Cloud]

Yeah it's a shitshow.  Every celebrity has to treat it like a less civilised version of the house of Commons and all the hardcore slactivists from 4chan and Tumblr seem to go there to yell at the ether (and each other)

I have a fairly curated list of people I follow.  Mostly not celebrities, the odd voice actor and some are politically vocal but at least on my side so it's more tolerable.  Using it less and less though and more for interacting with customer services of $COMPANYNAME (best way to get decent service) than anything else

I hate how it ruins people I used to look up to, like JK Rowling.  Never follow your heroes, I guess

[Jerzy Bondov]

That fucking Top Tweets view is pure shit. I feel like I haven't had to switch it back to the proper mode for a while, maybe it's taken the hint that I only want to see Tweets from people I follow. It's good to have a good cull of accounts every now and again, freshen it up a bit. I use it to find things to laugh at. Unfollowed loads of political accounts after the election and haven't looked back. It's only as shit as the people you follow.

[Blue Jam]

You can switch that off on the app if you click the stars on the top right of the page

Ah, that's what that thing does! Cheers, that's much better!

[the]

I'm one of the main culprits here, and I do become fascinated by lolcows for sure, but also find it really intriguing to see the actual attitudes and beliefs a lot of comedians hold.

Yeah it's all your bladdy fault To be fair though, previously weren't you into Big Brother? And Big Brother is what I blame for conditioning people into thinking that watching average people having dull itchy interactions is 'juicy' entertainment.

[Barry Admin]

Yes, I was very snobby about series 1, then got totally hooked when I saw some of series 2 at a friend's house. However, I've always adored talk radio and the kind of dull itchy interactions you describe. Or rather, I think any subject can be interesting and worthy if it's approached correctly, or analysed in a certain way. I like to get right in there.

[king_tubby]

It's been mentioned a few times on some of the current Twitter threads in CC, and I keep meaning to set out my thoughts and start a proper thread about it, but the Streatham Rovers/Simon Hedges and related Trevor Bastard Extended Universe (though they're not all the same bloke, a lot of funny people have gravitated towards his various persona) twitter accounts are what keep me on that hellsite.  I don't watch a lot of comedy any more, but I can't think of anything British (with the exception of Stewart Lee) that has made me laugh so much over the last couple of years.

[imitationleather]

I bought a Streatham Rovers shirt when he was selling them a couple of years back. So pleased I did that.

[Marner and Me]

I had it for half a hour, and what a load of wank. Deffo agree with the above it has made the world a worse place, but then again, I don't have it so my world has stayed the same.

Be like Paul Sykes, go outside and take a look.

[Flatulent Fox]

Tried it once when it first started.Not much talk about onions so I gave up on it.

Mostly cnuts voicing their crazed opinions and showing pictures of themselves trying to be interesting.
Life is too short.