Elon went full post-truth populist a few years back it seems.
Jim Stewartson’s MindWar, while a little on the edge, has made some excellent observations regarding Musk. He consistently referred to Twitter under former management as an “Info weapon” and clear he uses it as exactly that right now, despite overpaying and losing money ever since. That is its value to Musk, not to spread truth but to spread convenient lies, to cynically influence.
Upon buying Twitter, Musk immediately set up “The Twitter Files” which was an influence campaign in the style recently employed by Russia. Supposedly damaging private/confidential communications are leaked to a third party intermediary trusted by the target audience. In this case, Bari Weiss and Matt Taibbi were the “cutouts.” Then false narratives that loosely jibe with the authentic communications are layered over top and pushed out on social media platforms. These often get dispelled by experts in official settings, in this case, House hearings. But those generally do not dislodge the narratives, now entrenched because many don’t hear the news or believe the experts. This crowd gets the false narratives on social media repeatedly.
So, it was not so much a business play to buy Twitter. It was a political/propaganda play and the list of investors might be seem as those wishing to invest in influence operations on the platform, rather than profit seekers.
Musk has been all-in in for MAGA for a few years now it seems, just coming out of the closet officially
Yeah, I remember it well. He's one of the guys who thinks Trump lost in 2020 because people could see Hunter's dick pics or hear the Babylon Bee make it's one joke. Maybe he's right!
I think its more cynical than that. I think Elon is doing all of that purposely… to enable oligarchs and autocrats to run influence ops on places like Twitter. He knows some nefarious shit went down, its just he wanted it to go down and was mad that Twitter in concert with the FBI was able to dampen that influence op.
So my $0.02 - the Twitter files were specifically to get the our government from doing its job to blunt malign influence campaigns. The “Free speech absolutism” promoted is a cynical pile of post-truth trash designed to rabble rouse against efforts to blunt disinformation campaigns.
I don't think you're being any more cynical than me. We're saying the same thing. I think the absurdity of it shows how much money and power can create reality because he may make something inherently BS true.
Unlike you I left twitter a couple of months after he bought it because of how hateful it got and how much dis/misinformation there is!
It's getting bad here. I have been suggested nothing but right wing, cristofascist, nazi, antivax people and substack.
Is there a way to get these addressed here? I hate having to go someplace else. I am rarely on FB because of how much shit went down there while the 🍊 menace was taking up space and making money in the Whitehouse!
Yeah, I admire that, but you're running into my problem. There's nowhere to flee to! And it's important to try at least to get the right stuff out. It requires a long-term fix for now. Stay currated. Focus on saying and sharing what you want. That's my plan.
They have, and it hasn't changed much. Also, you could argue that abandoning all the community we built there is abandoning all the community we built there. Unfortunately, all the other platforms have issues. There's no one and nothing without sin online. We have to figure out how to do our best. I'm not sure!
I deleted my Twitter account today. I’ve been meaning to do it for a long time but hadn’t gotten around to it. I’m sad to leave some of the online friends I’ve made, but the site has become a hellscape.
I disagree with the idea of billionaires. I don't think we should kill them, though - taking most of their money away would probably be enough punishment.
I kicked Twitter in the basement of my sister’s house in Pennsylvania, and it was like kicking a hard drug. Indeed it does something to brains. I can still remember my finger pausing over the ‘delete account’ button. This was even before the Muskrat bought it and scragged it.
Elon went full post-truth populist a few years back it seems.
Jim Stewartson’s MindWar, while a little on the edge, has made some excellent observations regarding Musk. He consistently referred to Twitter under former management as an “Info weapon” and clear he uses it as exactly that right now, despite overpaying and losing money ever since. That is its value to Musk, not to spread truth but to spread convenient lies, to cynically influence.
Upon buying Twitter, Musk immediately set up “The Twitter Files” which was an influence campaign in the style recently employed by Russia. Supposedly damaging private/confidential communications are leaked to a third party intermediary trusted by the target audience. In this case, Bari Weiss and Matt Taibbi were the “cutouts.” Then false narratives that loosely jibe with the authentic communications are layered over top and pushed out on social media platforms. These often get dispelled by experts in official settings, in this case, House hearings. But those generally do not dislodge the narratives, now entrenched because many don’t hear the news or believe the experts. This crowd gets the false narratives on social media repeatedly.
So, it was not so much a business play to buy Twitter. It was a political/propaganda play and the list of investors might be seem as those wishing to invest in influence operations on the platform, rather than profit seekers.
Musk has been all-in in for MAGA for a few years now it seems, just coming out of the closet officially
Yeah, I remember it well. He's one of the guys who thinks Trump lost in 2020 because people could see Hunter's dick pics or hear the Babylon Bee make it's one joke. Maybe he's right!
I think its more cynical than that. I think Elon is doing all of that purposely… to enable oligarchs and autocrats to run influence ops on places like Twitter. He knows some nefarious shit went down, its just he wanted it to go down and was mad that Twitter in concert with the FBI was able to dampen that influence op.
So my $0.02 - the Twitter files were specifically to get the our government from doing its job to blunt malign influence campaigns. The “Free speech absolutism” promoted is a cynical pile of post-truth trash designed to rabble rouse against efforts to blunt disinformation campaigns.
I don't think you're being any more cynical than me. We're saying the same thing. I think the absurdity of it shows how much money and power can create reality because he may make something inherently BS true.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine
Where have you been?
It's alright we know where you've been
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time
Provided with toys and 'scouting for boys'
You brought a guitar to punish your ma
And you didn't like school, and you
Know you're nobody's fool
So welcome to the machine
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine
What did you dream?
It's alright we told you what to dream
You dreamed of a big star
He played a mean guitar
He always ate in the Steak Bar
He loved to drive in his Jaguar
So welcome to the machine
Can we escape the machine built by the oligarchs?
I agree with you.
Unlike you I left twitter a couple of months after he bought it because of how hateful it got and how much dis/misinformation there is!
It's getting bad here. I have been suggested nothing but right wing, cristofascist, nazi, antivax people and substack.
Is there a way to get these addressed here? I hate having to go someplace else. I am rarely on FB because of how much shit went down there while the 🍊 menace was taking up space and making money in the Whitehouse!
Yeah, I admire that, but you're running into my problem. There's nowhere to flee to! And it's important to try at least to get the right stuff out. It requires a long-term fix for now. Stay currated. Focus on saying and sharing what you want. That's my plan.
Fuck Musk
The level of narcissism we’re dealing with these days is borderline unlivable.
So why are people still using Twitter? Leave by the thousands and make a statement.
They have, and it hasn't changed much. Also, you could argue that abandoning all the community we built there is abandoning all the community we built there. Unfortunately, all the other platforms have issues. There's no one and nothing without sin online. We have to figure out how to do our best. I'm not sure!
Sounds like Putin put a gun to Elon’s head too.
Putin has a gun but Elon likes where it's pointing and it's not at him.
Bluesky is too small? So everyone leave Twitter and join it! Grow that sucker!
I deleted my Twitter account today. I’ve been meaning to do it for a long time but hadn’t gotten around to it. I’m sad to leave some of the online friends I’ve made, but the site has become a hellscape.
I disagree with the idea of billionaires. I don't think we should kill them, though - taking most of their money away would probably be enough punishment.
Said the the richest guy in the world, or close to it. Pffft.
I’ve been giving leaving Twitter (X) a lot of thought because of all the things this post points out.
I kicked Twitter in the basement of my sister’s house in Pennsylvania, and it was like kicking a hard drug. Indeed it does something to brains. I can still remember my finger pausing over the ‘delete account’ button. This was even before the Muskrat bought it and scragged it.
Still a no good Facebook drunk.
I used to love twitter and Elon before they got married. Now I hate and despise both
I disagree with the idea of Elon Musk yet here we are.
As I asked A.R. Moxon recently, "Why is Elon Musk?"