Opinion: Nancy Pelosi is absolutely right about Twitter

Published: July 9, 2019 11:51 a.m. ET

Twitter isn't a guide to public opinion; it's basically middle school

By
BRETT ARENDS, COLUMNIST BOSTON -

Thank you, thank you, thank you Nancy Pelosi.

That's not something I've written before and may not be something I'll write again. But when it comes to the subject of Twitter, the speaker of the House of Representatives is right on target.

No, activists, your "Twitter world" isn't the real world.

No, "social media" isn't a normal, representative human community.

And no, "buzz" on social media is not a guide to public opinion or "public sentiment." It's just brief burst of the "madness of crowds."

Taking opinion on too seriously helped cost the Democrats the 2016 election, and will probably cost them the 2020 one as well. Here we are in 2019, nearly three years after the Great Trump Shock, and apparently many on the left have still learned nothing.

As it happens, while Pelosi was making her comments I was shutting down my own Twitter account. I have about 100,000 "followers," so it's not a trivial move. But I've come to believe Twitter is a waste of my time and energy.

I've had it with cliques and bullies and groupthink and playground abuse. Twitter is middle school. And once was enough.

Some people I know find it a useful source of news. I'm glad for them. But it's not for me.

And it's so depressing to see false information (left wing, right wing, whatever) eagerly shared and "liked" and "retweeted" by thousands. If you point out that it's wrong, you typically get ignored, yelled at or blocked. Nobody changes their mind. Nobody admits they made a mistake.

The only way to win at Twitter is not to play.

Twitter is a swamp of "selection bias" and "confirmation bias." Your buddies all agree with you? Well, that must mean everyone does! You shouted your opponents into silence? Well, that must mean you've won them over!

When 1,000 people denounce someone on Twitter? Well, that must be a consensus! After all, there are about 28 million Americans on the site on any given day. So 1,000 people is... er... 0.00357%.

Oops.

And it's... er... 0.0003% of the U.S. population.

Hmmm.

But it's still everybody, right? Reweet if you agree!

(Never mind the even more egregious idea that if lots of people agree with something, it must be right)

According to the company's own public filings, only about 20% of the U.S. population even uses Twitter. And less than half of those go on it regularly.

And as everyone knows, only a tiny percentage of those dominate the "conversation."

To listen to Twitter two years ago, after the far-right demonstration in Charlottesville, you'd think everyone wanted Confederate statues knocked down. Actually, there wasn't even strong support for that among African-Americans. A few months ago, you'd have assumed absolutely everyone wanted Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign over the "black face" affair: Actually, even most black Virginians didn't. Today you'd think everyone calls illegal immigrants "undocumented workers," and wants them to have free, universal health care. Really?

It's ironic that Twitter helped get Trump elected. The president uses his Twitter account to troll the left and the media - and they fall for it. Meanwhile I'd bet most of the ordinary people who voted for him aren't even on the site.

Wall Street woke up to this company years ago. Today the stock price is barely half the levels seen in the early post-IPO euphoria.

During the same 5 1/2 years, the Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.54% index has doubled and Facebook FB, +0.03% has quadrupled.

Meanwhile the Twitter user base seems to have been tapped out in America. Average daily users are rising these days at about 4% a year or less. The growth is overseas.

Twitter at $37 still trades at seven times forecast revenues and 33 times forecast per-share earnings. I wish the investors luck. But in the words of the poker legend Herbert Yardley, "I wouldn't bet on this hand with counterfeit money."

The company has tried to improve the experience for those who have an emotional age above 15. It has cracked down on certain types of "hate" speech, such as far-right abuse and racism, and blocked some of the more virulent trolls. But the general unpleasantness continues. And there's only so far it can change the culture. Twitter is about fast, short, knee-jerk reactions. It empowers emotions and groupthink. Reason, and independence of mind, never have a chance.

What's with these "stories" quoting a few people on Twitter like its news? Yada-yada-yada "and Twitter went INSANE!!!" Huh? Blah-blah-blah "and it didn't go down well on Twitter!!!" Um... what?

Before Twitter, we didn't pretend such stuff was significant. We were right. It isn't. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi, for saying it. (But Twitter, of course, went... )

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Dora Hates You

Are you saying Trump should be able to block people, even though he is president and uses it as a public speaking platform?

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I was right.

Unfortunately it is our POTUS' main method for disiminating information. I mean his Press Secretaries hold the record for least amount of briefings. What's a boy or girl to do? Trump knows Twitter is the key to his Russian allies efectfulness in tampering with our elections. It's why he loves it so. It's his main weapon.

Twitter isn't any more real than NSR.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

I'm not saying anything in that regard. I did try to find something specific in regard to what Pelosi said but, I'm thinking it was general comments about Trump's usage and not something specifically about "Twitter".

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Dora Hates You

NSR is used as a public speaking platform - -
- - and you can block people here


Trump just doesn't use NSR

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Who is Keyser Soze?

If he did, he wouldn't be allowed to block anyone. Not even the fish F-er.

But trump's use is calculated. He wants to reach that angry minority who take his word as gospel and then spread it around among like minded sheeple.

But the rest of us can shit post back at him.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

Trump's use is calculated? covfefe

Twitter best use? Comedic mocking

Twitter worst use? Threats and bullying. That is some cowardly $hit.

Example of an idiot using twitter:

"Gaetz tweeted seven hours into Michael Cohen's closed-door interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee in February, alleging without evidence that Cohen was cheating on his wife and implying that Gaetz or someone else would inform Cohen's family.
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"Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?" Gaetz tweeted at Cohen at the time. "Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot...""

d bags will be d bags. Gaetz under investigation.


Edited: 07/10/2019 at 07:40 AM by Greensleeves

Consider this: when his staff tweets on his behalf, they intentionally insert misspellings. This is because they are targeting the Cranky/FK dumbographic.


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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

"Consider this: when his staff tweets on his behalf, they intentionally insert misspellings."

Luv it!

I've read some office politics tripe that misspelling are also a display of power, in that the audience is not worthy of working to correct the errors.

Edited: 07/10/2019 at 09:30 AM by Greensleeves

Facebook, Twitter, and others have done studies to see what keeps their members coming back and how often.

It sounds like for most people that anger is the emotion that most easily keeps members, engaged, logging in, and clicking on things. Why wouldn't the social media platforms change their algorithms to push things to you that are going to piss you off if that is what is going to keep you coming back? There is also a strong groupthink component of social media platforms. The problem is how, as outlined in dingpatch's article, that can be easily manipulated.

Anyway, makes you wonder if a few people on this board, both right and left, aren't on here by design to stir the pot. Stay angry fellas.

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"The government who robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul," - George Bernard Shaw

“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f—k things up.” - Barack Obama

“End of quote. Repeat the line.” - wise words from Joe Biden

The rise of the angry right goes back to Morton Downy Jr. and Rush Limbaugh trying to get the grumpy old men fired up in the 80's.

Turn on an AM radio and all you'll hear is rage against everyone left of Genghis Khan. Manufactured outrage is the main product line at Faux Newz.

Stay angry indeed!

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

We can otherwise firmly assert that Twitter People are imbeciles.

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Dora Hates You

No, but there's no shortage of them.

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

There was a time when Trump fans would crow about his number of twitter followers.

Now they want them cut.

Oh the irony!

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I was right.

AOC...same thing.

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The REAL truth is....both of the forum idiots are OWNED.
-BOTH of them have no clue who their owner is.
-They are both card carrying narcissists.
^These are PROVED facts.

Sorry I'm late this morning, had to stop first and shitpost at that racist Tucker Carlson on Twitter...

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

Wait.....

I thought AOC said Pelosi was racist?????



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The REAL truth is....both of the forum idiots are OWNED.
-BOTH of them have no clue who their owner is.
-They are both card carrying narcissists.
^These are PROVED facts.

Trump twitter is an official part of his presidential legacy, and you should hear the crazy shit he's tweeting this morning.

"A big subject today at the White House Social Media Summit will be the tremendous dishonesty, bias, discrimination and suppression practiced by certain companies. We will not let them get away with it much longer. The Fake News Media will also be there, but for a limited period....

The Fake News is not as important, or as powerful, as Social Media. They have lost tremendous credibility since that day in November, 2016, that I came down the escalator with the person who was to become your future First Lady. When I ultimately leave office in six..........

years, or maybe 10 or 14 (just kidding), they will quickly go out of business for lack of credibility, or approval, from the public. That's why they will all be Endorsing me at some point, one way or the other. Could you imagine having Sleepy Joe Biden, or @AlfredENeuman99,.....

or a very nervous and skinny version of Pocahontas (1000/24th), as your President, rather than what you have now, so great looking and smart, a true Stable Genius! Sorry to say that even Social Media would be driven out of business along with, and finally, the Fake News Media!"

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

Edited: 07/11/2019 at 07:38 AM by RustyTruck

I'm tellin' ya, twitter is hillarious. You're missing out...

"Matt Christman
?

@cushbomb
19m19 minutes ago
More
#SocialMediaSummit It's like Yalta but instead of Churchill, Stalin and FDR it's Trump, Diamond, and a guy in a Roman helmet and Deadpool mask named Da Bitcoin Pervert."

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“It is the heart of US policy to use fascism to preserve capitalism while claiming to be saving democracy from communism “ - Michael Parenti

Edited: 07/11/2019 at 07:46 AM by RustyTruck