Some thoughts about the 'culture wars' on social media

[John T Smith]

I sometimes read or listen to the news about the 'culture wars' happening today with a little bit of wonder... the only social media platform I use is Facebook, and that only once a day to see what some distant friends have to say, so I have to shake my head when someone gets upset about different thoughts and ideas and leaves or threatens to leave FB or X/Twitter or even going so far as to say they are going to move to a different country (how many celebrities who SAID they were going leave the US actually DID leave if 'their' candidate didn't win?)
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When someone makes a comment I don't like on FB I ignore it and go to the next message... what I really don't like about FB is the list of 'people you may know' who I don't know... and the random links to sites I will never visit that are dropped in when I am on FB... I am not interested in F1 races or used cars or any other crappy sites, so I keep blocking them and more random stuff keeps showing up... oh well, such is life in the digital age
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I do have to laugh about one celebrity... George Clooney & wife live at Lake Como in France, but I just heard on the radio that he is very upset with the loss by Kamala... he has already left, at least in part, so being concerned about a US election is laughable... he is rich and lives in an exclusive area so the crime and financial problems faced by the average people in the US don't matter to him
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Also, there are the complaints about the 'free' exchange of ideas on social media
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First, Mark Zuckerberg admitted suppressing free speech
https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-statement-zuckerberg-admission-biden-har...
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Then, Elon Musk bought Twitter and changed the censorship there to make the platform more equal
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Anyone may post their thoughts where they feel comfortable, but leaving a platform due to a leveled playing field would seem to be a case of not wanting any discussion of opposing ideas... oh well, if your feathers are the same I guess you will flock together
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Here is a comment (picture) I found that I think is both true and funny

[Chuck Uebele]

I have an Instagram account and X, but I rarely use them. I used to use Twitter to follow ULA launches if I was going to photo it. Instagram i look at occasionally, but rarely post. 

I do spent too much time on FB, but rarely post or comment on anything political or religious.  I have a host of friends that do post that stuff and who get all hot under the collar if you don't see things thier way. Many have said to unfriend them if you don't believe as they do. Some I have, not because I disagree with them on some things, but I'm not sure I want to be friends with anyone who is so closed minded. A lot of them are all in their little bubbles, feeding off of each other's similar opinions. I have one friend who was ready to leave the U.S. in 2020, if Trump one. She had talked to an immigration lawyer, but since Biden won, she stayed. I haven't heard of she's planning to move again, but I don't look at her stuff much anymore, as she only wants people who echo her views. 

[Nancy OShea]

Elon Musk bought Twitter and changed the censorship there to make the platform more equal

By @John T Smith

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More equal for whom?  Foreign bots, hate mongers, purveyors of fake outrage & distrust in established institutions? Or anyone who buys the blue dot and disseminates disinformation?  🤦‍:female_sign:

FACT CHECK:  Nobody anywhere is being told to shelter in place from drones. DO NOT SHOOT AT AIRCRAFT!! 

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-vaccines-auti....

FACT CHECK: There is not a shred of scientific evidence to link vaccines with Autism.

A responsible platform like Bluesky or Threads would have shut this nonsense down immediately.  But not Twitter.

It's no coincidence that thousands of global journalists—right, left & center—have abandoned Twitter or that hundreds of corporate advertisers have severed ties to the platform.  It's an embarrassment.  The owner's toxic involvement has made Twitter unfit for human consumption.  If his goal is to devalue the platform, he's doing a great job so far.

It's not a culture war when millions of people abandon a thriving platform.  It's a clear sign that it's rotting from within.