luka

Well-known member
It's good for keeping an eye on exotic subcultures too, survivalists, trad Catholics... One sad thing that's happened is that much of the conspiracy stuff is just a front for the dissemination of crude right wing propaganda. Whether it was always set up for that or if it was captured and subverted I don't know
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Well Sunderland FC is definitely an exotic subculture and leaving is like trying to get out of the Manson Family....
But yeah you're right about the conspiracy theory thing. It's kinda "Ooh that looks interesting and fu... oh it's about 'the Jews' again". I don't even know if that's a Twitter thing or an internet thing or if it was just always like that.
 

version

Well-known member
I found an insanely antisemitic blog that believes Roman Polanski, Pynchon, Stalin's hitman, B. Traven and a bunch of other people are all actually the same person and running some huge CIA/Mossad program. JJ Abrams is apparently involved too.

:crylarf:

'Welcome to my blog My research proves that Roman Polanski is Thomas Pynchon and many other Ghostwriters he publishes books HIMSELF about his and partners in crime CIA/Mossad horrific crimes like faking of serial killers false flags running child sex slavery blackmail rings and world war rackets for the whole world to read He is also the son of Stalins hitman NKVD Communist Secret Police Chief Genrikh Yagoda mass murderer of millions who was the author B Traven amongst others All the proof is here HAPPY HUNTING'

https://zillahnoir737.blogspot.com/
 

version

Well-known member
I thought it was a joke at first, but they've put so much effort into it I think they could well be serious and genuinely believe it.
 

luka

Well-known member
Well Sunderland FC is definitely an exotic subculture and leaving is like trying to get out of the Manson Family....
But yeah you're right about the conspiracy theory thing. It's kinda "Ooh that looks interesting and fu... oh it's about 'the Jews' again". I don't even know if that's a Twitter thing or an internet thing or if it was just always like that.

It's always been like that to an extent but I'm talking about something slightly different where conspiracy theory is used as a Trojan horse for mainstream rightwing talking points. These are sites which aren't the demented projects of lone paranoids, they're something set up and maintained by larger and more organised entities to transmit a particular message. e.g. https://mobile.twitter.com/EsotericExposal
an automated account which recycles material garnered from other conspiracy sites and mixes it in with Ben Garrison cartoons and etc.
 

version

Well-known member
I wonder whether we'll ever see a large scale movement of people rejecting or at least partially retreating from the internet the way they do certain platforms over time. There's definitely an increasing awareness of the negatives and a lot of people have turned away from Facebook and started to see through social media.
 

firefinga

Well-known member
I wonder whether we'll ever see a large scale movement of people rejecting or at least partially retreating from the internet the way they do certain platforms over time. There's definitely an increasing awareness of the negatives and a lot of people have turned away from Facebook and started to see through social media.

I am afraid this is often motivated by boredom with the platform rather than anything else. People get off Facebook but join another social media behemoth, and in case of Whatsapp, Facebook in disguise.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
It's always been like that to an extent but I'm talking about something slightly different where conspiracy theory is used as a Trojan horse for mainstream rightwing talking points. These are sites which aren't the demented projects of lone paranoids, they're something set up and maintained by larger and more organised entities to transmit a particular message.
OK I see the distinction. I'm sure that that does not predate the internet but, if it was there before Twitter, who knows?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I found an insanely antisemitic blog that believes Roman Polanski, Pynchon, Stalin's hitman, B. Traven and a bunch of other people are all actually the same person and running some huge CIA/Mossad program. JJ Abrams is apparently involved too.
This is exactly what I mean, the kind of insanity that would be fun to read... if it didn't boil down to just being racist in exactly the same way as everything else.
 

john eden

male pale and stale
There a bunch of people my age (who remember a time before 24/7 access to the internet) who are disengaging. Lots of people who turn of facebook and instragram or try to ration their engagement - taking up running or whatever instead or tryinng to spend an hour a day reading a book.

I suspect this is less easy for younger people though.

I've probably said all I need to about conspiracy theories on here already...
 

version

Well-known member
Older people on Facebook can be really funny. They always leave really weird, earnest comments on people's photos like they're writing a postcard.

"Lovely photo, Val. Love to the family. Hope you're all keeping well. maybe see you at Christmas? xx"
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Older people on Facebook can be really funny. They always leave really weird, earnest comments on people's photos like they're writing a postcard.

"Lovely photo, Val. Love to the family. Hope you're all keeping well. maybe see you at Christmas? xx"

I've got an autistic uncle who writes comment that never, ever fail to be weird and awkward.
 

Leo

Well-known member
I think the worst bit of it is desperate attention seekers amplifying each other.

X with 12 followers says something hateful and stupid.

Y with 500 followers quote tweets it because they are "shocked".

Z with 10,000 followers makes a pithy comment about it.

Some dick from Spiked posts an article about what this says about the gliberal metropolital elite.

Radio show about what this says about our divided nation / civility / Brexit.

that's it, in a nutshell.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
One thing that does my head in about Twitter is the number of people who complain that their timeline is full of rubbish as if it was somehow the platform's fault that they decided to follow a load of arseholes. Or in some cases, not turn off retweets from people who are quite interesting in their own right but can't help retweeting every lost dog / crap joke / bad take / 17 page thread about 16th century basket weaving that's going round.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
I mean, it's fair to complain about the social impact of Twitter as a whole, but if you don't like what you personally see when you log on then it's kind of up to you to fix that.
 

version

Well-known member
They do insert sponsored tweets and ads into the timeline now, but yeah, most of it is just who you follow.
 

firefinga

Well-known member
I find the Twitter-Stalinists hilarious and sad/troubling at the same time. By twitter-Stalinists I am referring to people who will go through years of tweets just to highlight some stupid tweet from like 2012 and blow it all out of proportion to harm someone today. As if people don't change their mind on something or get wiser....

The reactionay catholic that I am I still remember one of christianity's greatest virtues, namley forgiveness.
 

luka

Well-known member
I made a little primitive figurine out of modelling clay with a massive dick on it, photographed it and sent it to all the famous TV historians saying I'd dug it up in my nans garden and was it an ancient power totem, could they confirm?
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I made a little primitive figurine out of modelling clay with a massive dick on it, photographed it and sent it to all the famous TV historians saying I'd dug it up in my nans garden and was it an ancient power totem, could they confirm?

Well? What did Simon Schama have to say about it?
 
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