@atomicpoet

People desperately want to believe those metrics ... even when faced with repeated, unequivocal proof that those metrics are falsified in huge quantities.

A big part of this is the fault of the platforms, but sadly, a non-inconsequential part of this is the fault of human nature and the desperate, egocentric desire for "popularity" (so much so that the falsified *appearance* of popularity is enough to satiate them).

@atomicpoet it's where journalists hang out. Their own little echo chamber. It is still a pretty small platform (even before space Karen) in comparison to others.

@atomicpoet is He naked ???

@atomicpoet
Advertisements (and propaganda) rely on beating you over the head with their message until you finally succumb to it. I don't think anyone chooses that experience.

And Elon has told so many lies, who would believe him now?

@atomicpoet LOL, they have thousands of followers that will never see their posts.

@atomicpoet If I had a nickle for every time a journalist tweeted about how Musk is a threat to free speech, I’d be able to buy Twitter.

The awfulness of Musk, I’ve always known but the spinelessness and cynicism of the “ideas people” I used to admire but still on Twitter - that has been the most surprising and disappointing. It’s as if acting on one’s principles is only for us little, non-blue checkmarked people.

@atomicpoet You're right. If nobody can independently verify whether numbers are accurate, that does make them heavily suspect.

I could produce some really nice looking graphs of anything, too. If I refuse to provide a verifiable data source, they would get ignored though. And that's the right response.

Ad platform providers are notorious liars when it comes to metrics. They shouldn't be getting more leeway than me.