Should DU block Twitter?

[Ptah]

33 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	8 (24%)
	No
	25 (76%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Elessar Zappa]

1. No, why?

[Orrex]

2. I'd be content if we blocked posts that are nothing but a linked tweet

If I wanted to be tweeted at with no additional commentary, I’d be on twitter.

[claudette]

5. Agree

And the last place I want to be is on Twitter

[Meowmee]

49. Yes agree

And if dump gets back on definitely block tweets about him. I don’t come here so I will be subjected to being harassed by that psycho’s tweets.

[JohnSJ]

3. Only if it evolves into an extremist right wing platform

[sop]

4. Don't think Twitter should be blocked,

but all the politicians, journalists and other public figures on Twitter should reconsider using it when it inevitably turns into Stormfront.

[vlyons]

6. No. Let each DUer choose to read/follow a twitter link as they please.

Last night, I deleted my Twitter account, which I never used anyway.

[True Blue American]

9. How do I delete it? Am sick of reading second hand twits.

Facebook, too. Am not on it but still get crap on my phone.

[vlyons]

15. It took me a while to figure out how

This explains how https://www.lifewire.com/delete-twitter-account-4145375

[True Blue American]

7. If they bring Trump and his lies back, yes!

[True Blue American]

25. I found the undo button.

There is a parade of hundreds of people going down the street but I have no idea why..

[BlueGreenLady]

8. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" Sun-Tzu

Twitter has been a good forum for keeping track of the shifting political winds here in the US. If it becomes a completely one sided "Fascist cesspool" as some have called it, Twitter will self-implode and other forums will pop up.

[Scrivener7]

28. Fine, but no one ever said, "Give your enemies a great big platform and tons of legitimacy."

And PS: as long as WE continue to give them someone to fight with on Twitter, it will not self implode.

I predict it will take the path of Discussionist but take a lot longer and do a fuck ton more damage in the process. That path is this:


1) Democrats think "sunlight is the best disinfectant" or some such bullshit and engage with the lunatic trolls.
2) Lunatic trolls will band together to ratfuck the site, high fiving each other all the while, while normal Democratic people find they simply don't have the time or dedication or Cheeto quantities or little Russian Bot friends to fight it.
3) Lunatic trolls will feel they are winning. They will strengthen each other and bring in more lunatic trolls who see how much fun they are having "owning the libs."
4) At some point, way down the line, the scale will tip and Democrats will realize, "This is a shithole and I don't need to subject myself to this."
5) Lunatic trolls will continue picking up more lunatic trolls and radicalizing others, for YEARS.

[Wednesdays]

58. Does that apply to Freerepublic, too?

No one has a problem if we use Freerepublic as a source too, then?

[iemanja]

10. I don't like censorship

If you don't like a source, you can always refrain from rec'ing it or even reading it.

[Orrex]

59. Of course, there's usually no way to tell prior to opening the post

I'd like to see DU add a "retweets" forum and require "link to tweet" posts to be posted only there.

[iemanja]

60. That sounds fair

But Earl G says that under DU4 will be a way to tell before opening that the post contains a tweet. I don't know when DU4 will be launched.

[hlthe2b]

11. So we should have blinders on and not discuss the threats coming from these sites as well as the

exclusively RW websites like Breitbart, FOX, Newsmax, OANN (or whatever is left), and the discussion of what FBI and others are seeing on the dark web? Really? This is a discussion site and we have to discuss what our opponents are up to. How else do we counter it? Obviously, such sources MUST be properly labeled/identified and DUers who fail to make a comment as to the context and their own reason for posting it will risk such posts being misunderstood, resulting in mistaken alerts.

[Scrivener7]

31. Would OANN be better if we brought everything they say here? Would your life be better if that

happened?

I'm not voting, but I think I have come up with a good idea: a dedicated Twitter forum. I could trash it and you could read all the right wing twitter nut-jobbery you want.

[hlthe2b]

32. Where did I even imply "bringing everything over"? DUers NEVER HAVE. Hyperbole, much?

But the OP is suggesting we consider outlawing anything being discussed on these sites. That is insane and self-defeating.

[Scrivener7]

33. The OP is asking what people think. He's not suggesting anything.

Also DU brought over massive quantities of tfg tweets for years. Every crazy thing Empty Green tweets ends up here. At least once, usually in multiple OPs.

All of it is simply trash.

[hlthe2b]

37. Failure to know your enemy is to defeat oneself. That does not imply bringing "massive quanitities"

over. As you WeLL KNOW, DUers would never put up with that. And even if there are dupes, that is why admins managed to program a little feature that allows posters to hide threads, and keywords, and block offending posters by screen name, or even an entire forum.

[Scrivener7]

43. DUers DID put up with that. For years. Multiple insane tfg posts per day. Do you feel defeated

because you didn't subject yourself to every toilet ramble tfg had since he was banned? Did you go over to Truth Social because you needed to know your enemy and you know what he was saying was too important to miss?

I didn't. I'm guessing you didn't either.

[hlthe2b]

44. As I said REPEATEDLY. Admins programmed features for dupes & unwanted contact as simple as

hiding keywords, threads, usernames, or entire forums as necessary. Not everyone comes to DU at the same moment you see an initial thread that they might wish to see as well. That is why a dupe in GD is not actionable.

I have no problem if admins want to require labeling a source such as Twitter in the subject line if that is so disconcerting for you. I have never registered on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or any other others, but there are some very valued people who do post there and whose voices we are lucky to hear from. I bookmark their online Twitter presence and look forward to hearing their thoughts on issues for which their opinions are invaluable. They may all leave Twitter if Musk makes it a welcoming "free for all" for the worst dregs of politics and society. I wouldn't blame them. And if that comes to pass I hope there is a mass exodus that bankrupts the entire site.

Still, if someone makes a very actionable threat against DEM political leadership or membership at large, puts a target on others, or threatens a terrorist act en masse on Twitter or a similar site, yeah, I'd like to know about that and that certainly should be discussed here-- no matter how unpleasant. And yes, if that occurs on Truth Social or elsewhere, I am not going to see it, but the DUer who sees it mentioned in MSM or sees it themself and who brings it over here to inform us/warn us (not to troll us or spam us, or another unwarranted purpose) then, as has always been the case in the past, I will join others in thanking that poster for letting us know.

[Scrivener7]

46. You seem to be upset with me personally, which I have given you no reason to be. So I will

wish you a nice day and leave this here.

[hlthe2b]

47. You directed your posts to me. I answered them and corrected your misunderstandings or what

I had posted. That is DU discussion.

I wish you a good day as well.

[Ptah]

42. I am not suggesting, just wondering what others think.

[True Blue American]

12. I voted no by mistake

Should have been yes.

[iemanja]

14. You can change your vote at any time.

[True Blue American]

22. I tried, nothing.:)

[iemanja]

27. First unclick the no

Then click the yes.

[True Blue American]

48. Thanks, I found it

On my second try!

[Effete Snob]

16. It's the damned vote-changing satellites!

This poll is fixed!

[2naSalit]

30. +1

[RobertMcNamara]

13. No

I believe we are taking the wrong side of ideology here thirsting for censorship just because it got recently popular in our party.
Even bans on Twitter.
Let them speak and post all they want, we are on the right side and can call them out face to face.

[msfiddlestix]

19. Exept it isn't face to face and magats give a Fork less about anything anyone else calls them out on

[msfiddlestix]

17. I voted Yes, but I see a lot of No votes. Why would anyone here support Elon Musk and the Magats

hate propaganda platform?

what's it gonna take to get it? Something worse than J6?

[bigtree]

18. only if other media is held to the same standard

...we'd likely be reduced to Daily Kos and the Maddow blog.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

20. For what reason?

I myself don't do Twitter, nor any other social media like Facebook, Tik Tok, etc., but I see no reason to ban Twitter.

[AkFemDem]

21. No but I'd support banning...

Endless posts ABOUT twitter.

Everyone just giving Musk the attention he clearly so craves. He wants to be the name on everyone’s lips, he wants to live in everyone’s head. He wants to see heads exploding and people crying over him. Classic troll.

[True Blue American]

23. That is my objection!

Keep Twitter, just do not bring it with all the answers.

[Ocelot II]

24. No.

I'm not in favor of blocking or banning things - that's more of a right-wing authoritarian notion - and would rather let intelligent adults make up their own minds about content. If it's offensive or against DU's TOS, a Twitter post should be treated like any other such material, or if it turns into nothing but a cesspool like, say, Parler, that's another matter. I think eventually it will fall of its own weight, especially since Musk will be pushing more advertising, but until then I think we can make up our own minds if we want to read a posted tweet.

[Scrivener7]

26. DU should block tweets from tfg. We've done just fine without them all this time and he has NEVER

said a WORD that should be on a Democratic platform.

And at least we should not allow twitter links that simply link to articles from legitimate media. Just fucking link to the article! Must we always enrich our enemies? How dumb are we?

[bigtree]

38. the majority of the news makers inform us there

...trusted pols and journos, alike.

Other newsmakers, advocates, people of interest post there, as well.

Just as it's been up until now, there are folks who refused to be informed by these public figures posting on twitter, and frankly, those folks have missed quite a lot happening in our world by relying on a mostly defunct google, and network and cable news.

If you're using the latter sources exclusively, your view is already severely compromised. Think of the influences behind those limited sources.

I much prefer not only hearing directly from journos and pols and others on their 'personal' feeds on Twitter, than hearing someone else tell me what they said or meant.

There's also no substitute for being able to respond in real time to these figures on a platform you can be fairly certain will be read by them and others.

[Scrivener7]

41. Clearly, your mileage varies, but I don't feel I'm missing anything. Because I actually read

the articles those newsmakers write rather than their wit contests.

Yep. I do refuse to be "informed" by twitter. And now that Musk is running it ("think of the influences!&quot , I'll refuse even harder.

But you do you.

[bigtree]

45. twitter doesn't write the articles, the folks posting them on twitter do, though

...twitter doesn't control content, so it's just sophistry to suggest anyone is being informed by 'twitter.'

There is nothing more compromised than the google search, btw. Not only is it limited to what google chooses to offer you after you put in your search terms, it's almost always dominated by right wing sources. It just is. There's really no dispute about that.

Google promotes almost exclusively conservative sources. Used to be that you could find alternative news there (not mainstream) if you clicked on the 'blog' link. That's no more. Not only is google limited, it's deliberately biased toward conservative news. It just is.

Twitter, on the other hand, allows myriad voices into the search on their site. You should try it sometimes. That's where you'll find voices of advocacy and dissent, and that's where the vast majority of the journos influencing the news today center their outreach and promote their work; not only their articles, but most often their personal views, many times challenged by the readers on twitter who respond to clarify, or sometimes alter their views.

You can't get that experience anywhere else, and it's not really surprising that people who don't participate there have such a myopic view of the state of news and discussion, especially if all they rely on is network news, blanket news orgs, or even just DU.

[LeftInTX]

51. The platform isn't going away

It's used by too many journalists to post breaking news. News they release before they have the time to write an article.

[Scrivener7]

53. But it is going to be run by a South African libertarian who doesn't give a shit about

Last edited Sat Oct 29, 2022, 09:21 AM - Edit history (1)

the damage it can do to our Democracy or our culture and who thinks tfg deserves a giant platform.

So I won't be engaging with it.

And I hope those here who do engage with it stop making posts that consist of nothing but a twitter link. Or worse still a twitter link that does nothing but link to the actual article that someone wrote, rather than linking directly to the article.

Also, I don't feel I am missing anything because I don't get news literally every minute of a 24 hour day. It doesn't really diminish the quality of my life if I don't hear about something for an hour or three after it happens. In fact, I think it hugely increases my quality of life.

[MuseRider]

34. IMO absolutely not.

I don't like it, I quit it some time ago.

I only wish it was not used as a source so much but that is just me.

Maybe there is a better way to sequester it without blocking it for the people who like it or those who stay to keep the rest of us who don't like it informed. It IS an important place for information and will remain so at least for a while.

[GreenWave]

35. Prediction!

Twitter will soon be as useless as Yahoo has become. Deranged magats spending their time harassing anyone who does not agree with their dim milk-like perception of reality.

[MissMillie]

36. It may end up being a moot point

I think a lot of the tweets that get linked here are from the same people (Teidrich, Dan Rather, Democracy Docket, Duty to Warn, etc.). So I think that if a lot of like-minded folks/groups leave Twitter, we may not have anyone to link to.

Who knows?

[LeftInTX]

50. I'm pretty sure they'll stay...Twitter is "too big to fail"

Right now there isn't any competition. If they want to "get the word out", twitter is the only game in town.
You can do the same with FB, but it isn't as popular. (Many influential people post on both platforms simultaneously)
However, breaking news goes to twitter.

[Chainfire]

39. I will no longer open a twitter link, but I don't think that the DU should do the same as policy.

If twitter is to become the new Der Stürmer, I will be not be part of it.

[USALiberal]

52. Wow......we are adults! Lighten up!

[Emile]

54. Wow, what about books too?

[Ptah]

57. And TV.

[Scrivener7]

55. I asked EarlG if there could be some way for us to trash Twitter on DU.

He's on this already, which is why we love him.

He said DU4 will have small boxes of different colors in the title that will show if an OP is a twitter link or a video link.

That will go a long way to allowing those of us who don't want to engage with Twitter to avoid it.

I asked if those boxes could be trashable. That is not currently in the plans for DU4, but he said he will look into whether there is a way to do this.

[Ptah]

56. That is good news.

EarlG is ahead of us all.