Post ATBKkPi6F9hrPJzDBw by thomasafine@social.linux.pizza
(DIR) More posts by thomasafine@social.linux.pizza
(DIR) Post #AT7scaAo4trfLn0ljk by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T03:48:39Z
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Fox News and social media algorithmsThe Dominion v. Fox defamation thread got me thinking about this 2022 New York Times expose piece on what Fox calls their "minute-by-minutes rating data," which is the real-time audience ebb and flow.Tucker Carlson used this to monitor their audience reactions down to the minute.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/business/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news-takeaways.htmlBasically, Carlson adjusts what he says to get the most reaction from his audience.Whatever is most outrageous and tripping, Carlson amplifies.1/
(DIR) Post #AT7tHfNdciVlN9bTqi by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T03:56:06Z
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This is similar to social media algorithms that tend to amplify the most fear-inducing rage-inducing despair-inducing posts.I often quote Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugen who explained that Facebook algorithms incentivize “angry, polarizing, divisive content.” We've all seen it happen on social media (both sides of the political spectrum),Too often things that are outrageous have the force of truth because they gets so much engagement.(That is why I prefer Mastodon.) 2/
(DIR) Post #AT7u9uCajSuWylIe24 by Bookworm33333@mas.to
2023-02-28T04:05:53Z
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@Teri_Kanefield I don’t doubt FNC has access to data and statistics of several social media sites to help them target people more effectively.
(DIR) Post #AT7v34uSci6e7C7yE4 by MoiraEve@mastodon.world
2023-02-28T04:15:51Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Anybody knows how minute-by-minute audience reaction gets tracked? Is it done by Nielsen ratings, where a select audience gets to rig a buzzer when they view something they like?
(DIR) Post #AT7vHWJZWqzDAFlA7k by fgbjr@indieweb.social
2023-02-28T04:18:26Z
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@Teri_Kanefield What I call "disagreement porn." There is a sprinkling on Mastodon, but it needs to be thrust in people's faces to give it legs, and that depends on algorithmic distribution tuned for engagement. On Mastodon abrasive posts just fade away quickly, as is normal in conversations.Which makes me wonder whether the much-touted divide between online and IRL social life might be a lot thinner without algorithmic distortions.
(DIR) Post #AT7wADShKC9ucX6pdY by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T04:28:22Z
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@fgbjr Interesting observation, Frank: Without the algorithms, social media interaction feels more like real life.
(DIR) Post #AT7wEhACpuY9tgazPU by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T04:29:11Z
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@MoiraEve I just realized I can gift the article so people can read it free.I'll do that (even though the article doesn't really answer your questions).
(DIR) Post #AT7wL6iIksiIsObKAi by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T04:30:20Z
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I just realized I can offer this article free through my subscription: https://nyti.ms/3ZvefiB3/
(DIR) Post #AT7wpupQzdJ8zcczSq by alfredo_liberal@universeodon.com
2023-02-28T04:35:54Z
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@Teri_Kanefield I read the piece and it's frightening
(DIR) Post #AT7wzkOwcGZNY6vRrc by joycebell@mas.to
2023-02-28T04:37:40Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Thanks for the gift article!
(DIR) Post #AT7xRrxG7sg75HNxq4 by jab01701mid@universeodon.com
2023-02-28T04:42:44Z
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@Teri_Kanefield So glad to see you here sharing your thoughts and skills on this platform. Thank you for your contributions to sane discourse !
(DIR) Post #AT7xSKSQ9cF3U2BFIW by fgbjr@indieweb.social
2023-02-28T04:42:46Z
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@Teri_Kanefield No idea if it would play out on closer inspection, but I wonder whether, by the same token, the popularity of Fox News broadcasts depends significantly on social-media amplification. Like, you might get worked up over a Tucker Carlson rant, but if it's more often a conversation stopper, you might start looking for other stuff to gripe about.
(DIR) Post #AT7ygWIV1vDwDFs1gm by Pat@mastodon.world
2023-02-28T04:56:34Z
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@Teri_Kanefield thank you
(DIR) Post #AT7zRnaaYcF5S7sMJE by MoiraEve@mastodon.world
2023-02-28T05:05:08Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Thank you! I've used up all my NYT gift articles until March 1, to I'd do it. I did read thru the entire article. Tho it doesn't say, it's got to be thru Nielsen ratings. I read a yahoo article that provides some info: Whereas Nielsen tracks most data by the quarter-hour, Fox pays for feedback down to the minute on what leads viewers to change the channel or stick around. And that feedback is way more expensive.
(DIR) Post #AT80xge40gl58ZGpNo by Helchose@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-02-28T05:22:06Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Ohhh right I forgot about this.
(DIR) Post #AT81APGFxFWazDCSJc by peatbog@med-mastodon.com
2023-02-28T05:24:23Z
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@Teri_Kanefield "Later that year (2018), Fox journalists discovered another reason for concern. An organizational chart loaded into the company’s new employee portal showed a controversial figure named Peter Brimelow — founder of the nativist website VDare — reporting directly to Rupert Murdoch. "So Murdoch likes profits going up, which is rational, and he likes white supremacy, which is not.
(DIR) Post #AT83ABXdAFBALMLgoa by timo21@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-02-28T05:46:46Z
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@Teri_Kanefield on Mastodon, as in life, you are your own algorithm.
(DIR) Post #AT84wZWBQGbeYmJAkC by timo21@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-02-28T06:06:42Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Thanks for sharing that.
(DIR) Post #AT85DvOFM9b9Jks1lA by timo21@mastodon.sdf.org
2023-02-28T06:09:52Z
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@Teri_Kanefield So conventional wisdom would be sex sells, that's what should be minute by minute ratings. So Tucker Carlson is more appealing than sex?
(DIR) Post #AT887av0r7PHx2ryoS by PandaChronicle@ohai.social
2023-02-28T06:42:18Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Thank you!
(DIR) Post #AT8J6t2z4G3HNlSmcS by Eka_FOOF_A@spacey.space
2023-02-28T08:45:26Z
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@Teri_Kanefield It's that bloody like button interacting with people's opinions.Want to skew things? Make a bunch of bots and have them like certain posts that are extreme, and also like more moderate posts. Now those that see and like the moderate ones, will be fed the more extreme ones.
(DIR) Post #AT8OVg312IWW4k7Oxk by juandesant@astrodon.social
2023-02-28T09:45:56Z
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@Teri_Kanefield thanks for the link.Apart from the main topic (or maybe not so apart), I have one question: why the bleep white supremacists get away with calling themselves nativists? Journalists know who the native nations in North America were, right? Right?
(DIR) Post #AT8V9CplfdUcmN9bBQ by ChemicalEyeGuy@mstdn.science
2023-02-28T11:00:17Z
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@Teri_Kanefield ⬆️ Please! His name is #SickleCell !
(DIR) Post #AT8VCJBMWYqjKwjYUy by ZhiZhu@newsie.social
2023-02-28T11:00:53Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Greed can destroy a person.Tucker Carlson used to be a decent journalist. Now he's just a mouthpiece for the mob because he cares more about ratings and the money they bring than he does about accuracy.Greed has utterly destroyed Tucker Carlson.
(DIR) Post #AT8WT5dEG37yBhKm0G by ZhiZhu@newsie.social
2023-02-28T11:15:05Z
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@Teri_Kanefield "the more we see something repeated, the more likely we are to believe it to be true."~https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/20That's why it's so important NOT to repeat lies on social media (and elsewhere).Repetition cannot create TRUTH,but repetition can create BELIEF.Repeat a lie often enough, & even people who *know* better will start to doubt reality & believe the lie.See thread of article: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/109530716627287778#Propaganda #Disinformation #Misinformation #Lies #Truth
(DIR) Post #AT8XoY91XirQec0DtQ by RyanFL@mastodon.world
2023-02-28T11:30:13Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Thanks for gift link!
(DIR) Post #AT8b2UjpIvmm0QYeFk by bodhipaksa@mastodon.scot
2023-02-28T12:06:20Z
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@Teri_Kanefield I got the “you have reached your limit of free articles” pop-up, but fortunately I know how to get around it 🙂The article explains a lot about how Fox is radicalizing its viewers. Scary stuff.
(DIR) Post #AT8fZcqYZrloWjl8dM by jcolag@mastodon.social
2023-02-28T12:57:08Z
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@Teri_Kanefield What amazes me is how this never changes, beyond the scale of the operation. In the '70s and '80s, local news would tease a final story with some foreboding premise ("Are your pillows killing you? Film at eleven"). Normal shows went to commercial on cliffhangers. It keeps viewers focused during the ads (so that they don't miss anything). Cable amplified this with 24/7 fear and anger. Social media A/B tests this for constant refinement. Ad-supported media is pretty bad...
(DIR) Post #AT8l1XCDgBDosh1FzM by jackiegardina@awscommunity.social
2023-02-28T13:58:13Z
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@Teri_Kanefield What is troubling to me is that the government may not be able to regulate algorithms that say, keep showing you more and more violent content, because the algorithm itself is considered speech. I am not sure how to combat the combination of disinformation and algorithms that boost it witj both being constitutionally protected.
(DIR) Post #AT8n4WUAycaHSGyGWW by GregDance@mastodon.green
2023-02-28T14:21:10Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Carlson - TrumpWhat is the real difference in how they speak?
(DIR) Post #AT8okJAqxXgyHoQCJ6 by failedLyndonLaRouchite@mas.to
2023-02-28T14:39:55Z
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@Teri_Kanefield I repeat my self:given how crazy fox news is (*) why would Rupert care about what the network reported about Arizona , or if stolen election claims were false ?it just seems wierd where Fox draws the linesee todays Krugmanhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/opinion/east-palestine-train-derailment-conspiracy-theories.html
(DIR) Post #AT8qLdB7e8soztuMfg by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T14:57:54Z
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@jackiegardina I think the only way this can happen is if sites like Facebook and Twitter fail because the algorithm are taken to such an extreme that people abandon the sites.Did I know you from Twitter? One reason I was gleeful when I sorted out the difference between Twitter and Mastodon was that I literally spent all of my time trying to debunk the left-wing rage-inducers who had the algorithm on their side.(I still carry some resentment. As me about GA voting machines some day)
(DIR) Post #AT8qbboMUsVnOHsgHQ by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T15:00:48Z
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@failedLyndonLaRouchite One answer: Not all lies are actionable. Not all lies are illegal. Another answer: Rupert may have understood that embracing election denial was a bridge too far. I don't think Rupert or any of the Fox Executive actually wanted to install a Trump dictatorship, which was where this was leading.That's why I felt confident that the Supreme Court, too, wouldn't hand Trump the election.Now they have a lot of power. Make Trump dictator and he's their boss.
(DIR) Post #AT8rKK6HC1upUZa83M by failedLyndonLaRouchite@mas.to
2023-02-28T15:08:48Z
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@Teri_Kanefield I think "trump dictator" sounds plausible - as someone else put it, trump was tool that got out of control; it is ok to lie about Obama or Biden as much as you want, but Trump may have scared them
(DIR) Post #AT8uqjqZIploTONnfc by jackiegardina@awscommunity.social
2023-02-28T15:48:19Z
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@Teri_Kanefield Indeed, its a losing battle and the more you engage with extremist views the more they are elevated.
(DIR) Post #AT8vg2OY6KS4lejq88 by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T15:57:36Z
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@failedLyndonLaRouchite Right. I think at that moment, Rupert understood that Trump's goal was to actually overturn the election.There is a fine line between sow doubts to undermine democratic institutions and install a dictator.I think Rupert felt he was crossing the line.If I write about this for my weekly blog post (which I will do if no other news breaks) I will include your question, because it's a good one. (I remove names).
(DIR) Post #AT8wPZ6lJybLFz7zpw by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-02-28T16:05:50Z
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@jackiegardina I did it with a FAQ page. When someone said something outrageous, I sent them to my page.People were sure that the GA voting machines were easily hackable and the GA Republicans were planning to hack them. They believed that Trump would be able to deploy the military across the country to shut down polling places.I just said, "See my FAQ page" the way I do now.I told them they were worried about the wrong stuff.
(DIR) Post #AT8wjd4eHm4dLfhsFk by jackiegardina@awscommunity.social
2023-02-28T16:09:26Z
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@Teri_Kanefield We have always had people at the extremes but algorithms make those extremes seem mainstream. The more a lie is repeated - which algorithms do - the more it is believed. It is a terrible cycle and I am not sure how our democracy survives.
(DIR) Post #AT96Vxx0ru4JaIG64G by hugh@mastodon.nz
2023-02-28T17:59:00Z
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@Teri_KanefieldSeveral years ago, before a NZ general election, there were televised debates where the studio audience were issued with buttons to express their reactions moment to moment, shown as a wavy line ("the Worm") on screen. People hated its effect on debate and it was soon abandoned.
(DIR) Post #AT9knaWIice0IHiouu by Gilda@mastodon.world
2023-03-01T01:30:25Z
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@Teri_Kanefield thank you Teri
(DIR) Post #AT9vHGX4ayvuX5sCO0 by efhastings@twit.social
2023-03-01T03:27:49Z
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@Teri_Kanefield OMG! “Network 23” and its moment by moment real time ratings! If you have never seen Max Headroom (1987-8), check it out
(DIR) Post #ATAULowC7HtunCWyWm by thomasafine@social.linux.pizza
2023-03-01T10:00:49Z
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@Teri_Kanefield You know who was doing something like this in 2016?Konstantin Rykov. He created (had someone create) media monitoring software that gave live tracking of news stories and social media on any subject. He set this up on his Trump campaign website. It was exactly what someone would need if they were going to try to manipulate news coverage using social media, to monitor what was working and what wasn't.
(DIR) Post #ATAwAH8gEhVLV0eceO by Teri_Kanefield@law-and-politics.online
2023-03-01T15:12:30Z
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@thomasafine Interesting.
(DIR) Post #ATBKkPi6F9hrPJzDBw by thomasafine@social.linux.pizza
2023-03-01T19:47:56Z
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@Teri_Kanefield The software project was called "MediaFilter". Rykov ran a number of sites on this software. Here's a list of sites that were running on the same IP as trump2016.ru:donaldtrump2016.rudowjones.rugeroy.rumarinelepen.rumediafilter.runardep2016.runovosyria.ruposlanie.rurykov.rutrump2016.rutwistar.ruwarsyria.ruIncluding one on the War in Syria. This article shows a shot of that warsyria website, showing the same basic format as trump2016.ruhttps://web.archive.org/web/20151002013254/https://vz.ru/news/2015/9/30/769747.html