Is the internet diminishing civility?

[Hugo]

Eva Longoria (a Biden/democrat voter) made some comments in an interview that were deemed offensive to black women democrat voters and she got absolutely hammered on twitter. She subsequently apologised but many people still gave her pelters, refused to accept her apology, called her a bitch and such.

Are you at all concerned at what the internet is doing to civility? Maybe not today but where this eventually ends up? Think about how central internet and social media is to communication nowadays and how some young kids have never known a time before it. An entire generation is growing up thinking that abusing and trolling online is normal and acceptable behaviour. Indeed most of the abusive comments aimed at Longoria were coming from people who looked like they were in their twenties.

If people can be so unforgiving and ruthless toward someone who is ostensibly on the same side as them it does not provide much space for respectful disagreement, compromise etc. Are we going to lose the ability to agree to disagree? She even attempted to make amends by crediting black women for voting for Biden and these are the types of responses she got:

[Enzedder]

Yes.

[Stranger]

Yes

[C69]

Not really

[Caley_Red]

Less internet and more social media, in my view.

Social media has effectively taken the forum experience to the rest of humanity: historically, forums were rough agglomerations of people with some shared interest (this place being a good example) that were sought out by a very small proportion of people who's interest in a given topic or subject was sufficiently large that day-to-day interactions were not sufficient to satiate it (I'm a classic example of this wanting to talk about Scottish rugby but living abroad not knowing any fellow fans).

However, the FBs of the world forced the forum experience on everyone: you suddenly have people waxing lyrical about a given subject that appears on your feed and is more likely to appear on it if it is 'interacted' with and, sadly, the ones most likely to appear tend to alos be the most divisive.

Not on social media myself, left it all because of this very effect (and it also just became ads in the end).

[ScarfaceClaw]

Civility was a rare commodity before the internet. It’s just given everyone the chance to believe that the whole world needs to hear their opinions. Which invariably, it doesn’t.

[sturginho]

Civility was a rare commodity before the internet. It’s just given everyone the chance to believe that the whole world needs to hear their opinions. Which invariably, it doesn’t.

Fuck you!

[Paddington Bear]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

[Globus]

I don't "do" any social media. I have a Facebook login as my dog so I can view the odd photo. I think they are diseases.

[Mr Bungle]

I don't "do" any social media. I have a Facebook login as my dog so I can view the odd photo. I think they are diseases.

You also have an FB account as you, sailing in your yellow jacket. You carpet bombed alot of PR friends friend lists spamming them with requests. Some of Thommo's comedian freinds in Brisbane accepted you for some weird reason. About 5 or 6 that you and Thomas are friends with. Pretty sure they haven't been to Oundle of late.

[Mr Bungle]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I did the same three or so years back but Messenger didn't function correctly. Any current groups worked fine, but mates who I hadn't been in contact with for some time couldn't find me to make contact. How are you finding it?

[sturginho]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I have deleted the FB app from my phone so that I spend less time looking at it, but haven't deleted my account yet. I really should, like you say I'd probably feel better for it

[Slick]

I dunno.

It seems to me that the vast majority of noise made on social media is from a relatively tiny set of people, really small. Most people in the world don't enagage or even notice the idiocy. I'd also say the vast majority of shouters on social media would be as quiet as mice in real life.

I'm worried about the disinformation on social media but, again, I think it's only a really insignificant number of insignificant people that actually engage with it.

[Paddington Bear]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I did the same three or so years back but Messenger didn't function correctly. Any current groups worked fine, but mates who I hadn't been in contact with for some time couldn't find me to make contact. How are you finding it?

Mine's worked fine, haven't had any messages from people I'm not friends with though so that may be a factor.

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I have deleted the FB app from my phone so that I spend less time looking at it, but haven't deleted my account yet. I really should, like you say I'd probably feel better for it

I'm the same - I still have a fb account, I just haven't looked at it in ages as I almost never use social media on my laptop. A lot of pictures on there from uni etc that I would want to save somewhere before I deleted my account fully.

[Openside]

Not really

Fuck off!!

[Mr Bungle]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I did the same three or so years back but Messenger didn't function correctly. Any current groups worked fine, but mates who I hadn't been in contact with for some time couldn't find me to make contact. How are you finding it?

Mine's worked fine, haven't had any messages from people I'm not friends with though so that may be a factor.

Just to clarify, I had deactivated my FB account but kept Messenger. It was FB friends, that I was connected to already, who couldn’t find me on Messenger if we didn’t have a recent message or any messages. Was weird. Maybe it’s been rectified?

[Openside]

Can someone explain to me what is so evil about what she has said?

It seems to me she is full of admiration for how engaged black women are politically, how is that an insult or disparaging?

[Sandstorm]

I'm worried about the disinformation on social media but, again, I think it's only a really insignificant number of insignificant people that actually engage with it.

Engage as in "respond and get into an argument"? Many don't, but a HUGE amount of people read all the crap out there all day long and absorb it. Then pass it on to friends as FACT.

[Globus]

I don't "do" any social media. I have a Facebook login as my dog so I can view the odd photo. I think they are diseases.

You also have an FB account as you, sailing in your yellow jacket. You carpet bombed alot of PR friends friend lists spamming them with requests. Some of Thommo's comedian freinds in Brisbane accepted you for some weird reason. About 5 or 6 that you and Thomas are friends with. Pretty sure they haven't been to Oundle of late.

Not aware of that at all. If I have, it was an aberration. Let's put it like this. I avoid FB like the plague. I have good reason.

[Calculon]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I have deleted the FB app from my phone so that I spend less time looking at it, but haven't deleted my account yet. I really should, like you say I'd probably feel better for it

Why delete your account though? I also don't have it on my phone but I do look at Facebook on my laptop, maybe once a month, sometimes less than that. Watsap I also use seldomly and only to stay in touch with family and a few friends. Wexin I use all the time for work and chatting with friends. So true about the "culture wars" though. It has little interest to me and has precisely 0 influence on my life.
Comments sections on news websites and YouTube are absolute poison though. I made the mistake of reading some of the comments on fox news, basically including repeated comments on how "libtards" are traitors who should be shot, and that blacks should be forcibly removed from the USA. Some of the comments were censored, so fuck knows how bad they were.

[Slick]

I'm worried about the disinformation on social media but, again, I think it's only a really insignificant number of insignificant people that actually engage with it.

Engage as in "respond and get into an argument"? Many don't, but a HUGE amount of people read all the crap out there all day long and absorb it. Then pass it on to friends as FACT.

True dat. The worst moments of my day is when my wife starts a sentence with “apparently”..

[sockwithaticket]

Can someone explain to me what is so evil about what she has said?

It seems to me she is full of admiration for how engaged black women are politically, how is that an insult or disparaging?

Hugo's post contextualises that tweet as the second one she sent to try and make up for whatever apparently offended black women.

[Margin__Walker]

I'm worried about the disinformation on social media but, again, I think it's only a really insignificant number of insignificant people that actually engage with it.

Engage as in "respond and get into an argument"? Many don't, but a HUGE amount of people read all the crap out there all day long and absorb it. Then pass it on to friends as FACT.

True dat. The worst moments of my day is when my wife starts a sentence with “apparently”..

Sounds familiar. I often get 'They say that...'

Who? Who says?

[Margin__Walker]

I very rarely post on Facebook. Probably once a year and don't have the app installed on my phone.

Use Twitter a lot, but more as a lurker.

One thing I don't do is engage in any on social media. Well rarely anyway, there was one time when a crazy friend of my Mum's started going on about Sandy Hook in the comments on one of her posts. The only arguing I do anywhere these days is on rugby forums. And even then I bail after a few posts. I don't have the energy or time to engage in a 30 post slog with someone.

[sockwithaticket]

It seems to me that the vast majority of noise made on social media is from a relatively tiny set of people, really small. Most people in the world don't enagage or even notice the idiocy.

This I definitely agree with. Twitter gets amplified in part because media types fucking love it (at least that's what my Sky news producer friend tells me), but it's a minority of people on the platform in the first place and a minority of those who engage in all the ugly stuff. Day to day I don't think it's done anything to change how civil (or not) people are towards each other bar a few on on the fringe who can't moderate their behaviour for different contexts,


I primarily use Facebook for information from bands. Before corona stopped them from doing their thing and as I've curated my settings, all I would really get in my feed were announcement from them about tours and releases. If you're on top of your settings you shouldn't really be seeing irrelevant pages or ads on which people you don't know are arguing, so I've never felt the need to get rid of it.

[ScarfaceClaw]

Civility was a rare commodity before the internet. It’s just given everyone the chance to believe that the whole world needs to hear their opinions. Which invariably, it doesn’t.

Fuck you!

#cancelSturginho

[Glaston]

Its all so easy and immediate to make a statement or a reply to anything.

In the "old days" you actually had to write letter, which required a bit more time and thinking. It allowed for second thoughts.

I dread to think how many hours of rage Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells spouts out on the internet.
Though I think he may have moved a short distance NE.



Twitter is awful, made worse by the Media quoting it so much and using it as the opinions of ordinary folk.










Personally I would rate myself as slightly Irritated of Somerset .

[sturginho]

[sturginho]

I've deleted all social media bar facebook messenger (so I can continue to catch up directly with friends). Did this in May, have felt significantly better ever since. Get enough of what I need to know about the news from the BBC, and haven't spent my days being forced to have opinions on culture wars that don't affect my day to day life. I've been calmer and have spent the time I'd have been on my phone reading instead.

Highly recommend it, you realise fairly quickly how little you need social media.

I have deleted the FB app from my phone so that I spend less time looking at it, but haven't deleted my account yet. I really should, like you say I'd probably feel better for it

Why delete your account though? I also don't have it on my phone but I do look at Facebook on my laptop, maybe once a month, sometimes less than that. Watsap I also use seldomly and only to stay in touch with family and a few friends. Wexin I use all the time for work and chatting with friends. So true about the "culture wars" though. It has little interest to me and has precisely 0 influence on my life.
Comments sections on news websites and YouTube are absolute poison though. I made the mistake of reading some of the comments on fox news, basically including repeated comments on how "libtards" are traitors who should be shot, and that blacks should be forcibly removed from the USA. Some of the comments were censored, so fuck knows how bad they were.

Because, whilst I don't use the app any more, I do still look at it through the browser. Delete the account and the temptation is gone, no?

And yes, the youtube comments section is shocking

[Niegs]

I dunno.

It seems to me that the vast majority of noise made on social media is from a relatively tiny set of people, really small. Most people in the world don't enagage or even notice the idiocy. I'd also say the vast majority of shouters on social media would be as quiet as mice in real life.

I'm worried about the disinformation on social media but, again, I think it's only a really insignificant number of insignificant people that actually engage with it.

I'm with you and Socket on it being an incredibly small number of people ... even when 'trending' with a few thousand, versus 10s or 100s of millions!

But I don't think people who believe in the disinformation is nearly as small. The US election would suggest it's worryingly large if you consider how many people seem to think Trump was robbed! If you watch Fox News exclusively and get the rest of your 'news' from social media, you get inundated with it. I followed a few things last week and even as someone with a library Masters degree, I could feel the doubt seeping in because of how slick the productions were and how cleverly they laid out their stance. I wasn't swayed of course, and immediately went looking for evidence to debunk the claims... but it wasn't easy to do so and I can guarantee that a LOT of people won't go digging for alternative views.

Similar to what Glaston said, the major difference is the moment of pause that isn't necessary with social media. He mentions taking time to write something. I was also thinking about actual face-to-face interactions... most people think about what they're going to say, or tone it down, even for selfish reasons to avoid getting yelled at or assaulted (if not empathy). Cowardly keyboard 'hardmen/women' are empowered hiding behind their devices.

[Openside]

Can someone explain to me what is so evil about what she has said?

It seems to me she is full of admiration for how engaged black women are politically, how is that an insult or disparaging?

Hugo's post contextualises that tweet as the second one she sent to try and make up for whatever apparently offended black women.

DO WE KNOW WHAT THE FIRST ONE SAID??

sorry caps lock - Twitter is a complete car crash at the moment what with Republicans and democrats knocking lumps out of each other and Brexiters and retainers doing the same - Happy days

[Insane_Homer]

Yes, it is. went for run on Sunday. Woman walking her 2 dogs, neither on leash. she in the middle of the path with her back to me, I go around both dogs and onto the grass on the right, maximising my distance between us, anymore and I'd be in the ditch, for the 2/10 of second it took to move past her...

She shouts "You're supposed to be 2 meters away"

me: "Fuck off"

The internet did that!

[Ali Cadoo]

My thoughts are often drawn to this scene:

[Hal Jordan]

Social media is also infested with bots and paid for accounts, plus troll farms run by states (hello Russia and China, for starters) so it is never a good indicator of reality.

[stemoc]

intellect on the internet is actually diminishing, just check their profile and you would find out why..too much religion

[Sandstorm]

intellect on the internet is actually diminishing, just check their profile and you would find out why..too much religion

I didn't realise you were very religious, Comets.

[Mr Tim Buktoo]

I only have facebook for my business. Never been on twitter but i get that its a cesspit. Im Irish and follow the irish politics thread on PR so get some of the crazy shit they post up from twitter etc. Its depresses me and enrages me. I took a few days away from it recently and stopped looking at news apps etc. Felt alot calmer.
But what can you do. I like seeing whats going on in the world.
If there was anything that existed as journalism anymore then it might not be too bad. But all that twitter shit just infiltrates the main news. Lazy journalists trying to make a name for themselves.
What gets me the most is when the politicians let the mob win. Instead of growing a set of balls and standing up to it, political parties just give in to fuckers. Worried about the next election. We had two or three politicans hounded out of office by the media here a couple of months back because they attended a function during restrictions. One was the EU trade commisoner. Yes it was stupid, but they all apologised and that should have been the end of it. Then you get the morons on twitter who probably have never had a political thought in their lives joining into the latest craze.
I wrote to my local politician about this. No reply of course. Not expecting one either. Trump is an idiot but mabye he has the right idea when giving two fingers to the media.
I like to think it is a small minority and the silent majority are just staying quiet but then you see trump getting so many votes, the shinners in ireland, brexit.
God knows where its going.

[Lemoentjie]

Of course it isn't and any who says otherwise is a fucking idiot shitstain on humanity who deserves to be executed

[Sandstorm]

Of course it isn't and any who says otherwise is a fucking idiot shitstain on humanity who deserves to be executed

Dickhead. Meet me at the edge of the Earth and we'll fight about it.

[Hugo]

Can someone explain to me what is so evil about what she has said?

It seems to me she is full of admiration for how engaged black women are politically, how is that an insult or disparaging?

Hugo's post contextualises that tweet as the second one she sent to try and make up for whatever apparently offended black women.

DO WE KNOW WHAT THE FIRST ONE SAID??

sorry caps lock - Twitter is a complete car crash at the moment what with Republicans and democrats knocking lumps out of each other and Brexiters and retainers doing the same - Happy days

I don't think that it was a tweet, the thing that she said that pissed people off was on an interview when she said that "Latinas were the real heroines of the 2020 election", in turning out for Joe Biden. It was construed as stealing the thunder of black women who (I think) are the democrats most loyal and passionate voting bloc.