Social Media πŸ“

A look at social media and the issues surrounding this technology.

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Editorializing the fake news

I don’t like the smugness of the news media and social media pointing out fake news and disinformation campaigns. If anything that’s a turn off to those who might believe in such things. Often issues aren’t black and white – and while one side may be misleading – it’s better to just report the facts from both sides in context.

I would rather the media just report the facts on both sides, skip the editorializing and let folks make up their own minds. πŸ“°

Parler… A website I struggle to figure out. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ

Parler… A website I struggle to figure out. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ

Lately it’s become a trendy thing to say your going to the alternative social media website, Parler because people are getting fed up with the constant disclaimers and censorship of major social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It is obnoxious that every time you mention or see a post about the election or COVID-19 your splashed with a disclaimer pointing to a platform curated collection of news articles. Maybe it’s a good idea to confront disinformation but it seems like these social media platforms have gone too far.

So the alternative people point to is Parler. But when I created my account I was disappointed on how much of a political echo chamber it is, full of weird conspiracy theories and far right news feeds. Yeah, I kind of like Larry the Cable Guy and John Rich’s feeds there but it lacks all of the groups and diversity that Facebook has.

I’ve been warned that Parler is kind of a far right echo chamber. But I was hoping it would have an interesting mix of off-gridders, farmers, homesteaders, hunters, sportsman and back to the earth type folks and not be dominated by politicos. I get that folks who live off the land like their guns and aren’t afraid of a little blood, manure or smoke and are conservative in persuasion but I didn’t go there for the politics or the love of Donald Trump, a man who I find quite awful.

I am not sure if the issue with the lack of users or the lack of search function but it’s really hard to find non political, communities of interest on Parler. There just aren’t the groups or pages I like, it’s more individual users than content feeds. No YouTube feeds, no cute pictures of cattle, deer or wildlife. Really not much of interest. Maybe the site will improve but right now it really lacks much of interest unless you’re interested in werid right wing conspiracy theories.

This man is running Russia’s newest propaganda effort in the U.S. β€” or at least he’s trying to

This man is running Russia’s newest propaganda effort in the U.S. β€” or at least he’s trying to

Alexander Malkevich stood outside the White House on Thursday, braving the 85-degree heat in a skintight long-sleeve shirt with Che Guevara’s face emblazoned on it. Thursday was flag day, as well as the birthdays of Malkevich, Che and President Donald Trump, and he was leading a very small political rally.

But this wasn’t one of the typical protests that crop up on Pennsylvania Avenue. Malkevich sits on Russia’s Civic Chamber commission on mass media, an official arm of President Vladimir Putin’s government. He was there to promote his new Russia-funded, English-language news site, USA Really. Wake Up Americans.

Like most of Russia’s efforts to manipulate U.S. politics, the website traffics in content on divisive issues such as promoting secessionist movements in the U.S. — the same kinds of activities that caused a furor when they were exposed as having influenced the 2016 presidential election.

Industry Insiders Don’t Use Their Products Like We Do. That Should Worry Us.

Industry Insiders Don’t Use Their Products Like We Do. That Should Worry Us.

"They haven't used it," Jobs told Bilton. "We limit how much technology our kids use at home." Every night, the family had a phone-free dinner together, according to Walter Isaacson, author of the definitive biography Steve Jobs. "The kids did not seem addicted at all to devices," Isaacson told Bilton.

Many found Jobs’s choices startling—and for good reason. What does it say about the safety of a product if its creator forbids his own kids from using it? But the tech billionaire’s choices weren’t as unusual as they might seem. From tobacco to food manufacturing to social media, executives and insiders are subtly sounding the alarm in actions, if not in words. Their behaviors provide insight not just into the risks of certain consumer products to children, but to adults, too.

What’s Worse Than Foreign Election Interference? QAnon | WIRED

What’s Worse Than Foreign Election Interference? QAnon | WIRED

Not by a long shot. The more threatening type of election interference is that which is, by design, hard to identify—even when you’re looking right at it. Something like what we now see in hindsight from the 2016 Election: manipulation of existing sentiments and movements, prolific propaganda machines, distorted news reports, online trolls who blend into the fray. In essence, what we’re now seeing with QAnon.