Trump is not playing dead. Did you see his speech in Texas yesterday?

a bit tinfoil hat, no?

There were parts of the GOP who never accepted Trump.

Was that all part of the ploy as well?

It’s all masquerade. I see it’s the way of manipulating the stock market and for those who were against big techs to provide another argument to voice and emphasize their dissatisfaction.

As amogles has already alluded too, whilst it's not beyond the realms of possibility for this to be some sort of conspiracy, the likelihood is that it isn't. The behaviour of Big Tech, particularly over the past 4 years, the disproportionate action against those on the political right, the number of whistleblowers and disgruntled employees alleging censorship at the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Google all point to Big Tech overreach.

This didn't begin and end with Donald Trump, but rather the culmination of a process that's been going on for a long time.

It's not that hard to get an idea based on public records.

A number of the rioters at the Capitol have been identified. With just a name and a state, I can make a public records request with the Secretary of State or Election Commission's office to see whether a person is registered to vote, which party (if any) they are affiliated with, and how many elections they've voted in.

Most people who register with a political party tend to vote that party, particularly those that register close to an election.

Isn't this what Hillary was saying all along?
Russian interference, you remember?

Oh please.

Sure, she complained as did her supporters. But she conceded the election only a few days after it happened and made a proper concession speech. She didn't file more than 80 court cases including up to the Supreme Court. She didn't try to throw out entire states worth of votes. There was never a question that Trump would be inaugruated. No one in Congress was in danger for doing their constitutional duty.

To borrow phrasing from Pancakes, Hillary did not "instigate a violent attack on the Capitol building during a Congressional session being held to confirm the election result."

If people don't like Big Tech, don't they have the option of not using it? Particularly in the case of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook?

I intentionally do not use social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter because I am aware of the ways in which they are designed to basically exploit people's dopamine / reward centers in their brains and what excess dopamine does to people, etc. (excess dopamine makes people aggressive).

Have people have lost the awareness that not using social media is an option? I remember when I was using FB, years ago, and it went down for a day or so, people were literally freaking out as though the world was ending.

Maybe the world would be better off if less people used social media, considering the hold it seems to have over people and the increasing divisiveness and hatred that it's generating.

You do realize the thank/groan function here on EF serves the same purpose, right?

You don't even remember what democrats were doing since 2016 Trump election vis-a-vis cancelling results of those elections?

Oh please.. and what were the reasons that lead to the first impeachment?

Do tell.


Of Trump? Getting another country to investigate Biden's son(s) wasn't it?

Social media is demonstrably addictive. Just telling people to "switch it off" likely isn't going to work anymore.

As a free marketeer, I would also normally agree with your first point. There is a big difference here though. If people don't like (or get kicked off) Twitter, they should be able to go elsewhere. However when the competition elsewhere (Parler) is attacked through the joint efforts of the Big Tech giants, then those companies are behaving as a monopoly and need treated and sanctioned as such through antitrust legislation.

Indeed, people have VERY short memories

Yes, but how many of us here are using the EF to project an online persona and to collect "followers?" How many people here invest their egos in their EF identities and post selfies for compliments, etc.? I don't think that the EF programs people to seek rewards in the form of "dopamine hits" the ways most social media sites are designed to. I do think think, though, that the EF has the ability to affect dopamine similar to social media sites, though not as strongly.

And similar to social media sites, the EF is also an option. We are not forced to use it. We are 'programmed' to use it. It's all very similar to Skinner's experiments in behavioral conditioning. It's an "operant conditioning chamber," essentially.

It is exactly the same. A lot of people here are heavily invested in their green/red cards and thanks/groans! I don't think I have given anyone a red card since I have been here. Even people who have serial red carded me get a pass. If I feel strongly about a post I will just reply on the forum. Even post groans I keep to minimum, around 9 groans since I joined.

I disagree

I also almost never use the groan function. It just seems really childish to me.

I agree that some people here do seem to be invested in their "EF reputations" but not to the extent that you see on social media. I think there are some fundamental differences, in terms of design, between the EF and most social media sites that cause the EF to be less of a "dopamine feedback loop" than social media sites are, but that's just my opinion on it. For one thing, we do not receive a constant influx of notifications on the EF, designed to keep us here and constantly attract our attention / program our behavior. However, both the EF and social media sites do exploit the fact that our brains perceive new information as a reward. That is why the "infinite scroll" feature exists on Facebook, for example -- put in place to keep people addicted to scrolling, because their brains process new information as a "dopamine hit."

So this is just based on my observations, etc., but I just don't think people really invest their identities into the EF as strongly as they do on social media sites, where people often project an idealized version of themselves.

I think you're wrong.

There's a lot of bragging and following some alfa of the pack.

It's clear you don't use facebook or twitter, you can disable push notifications and enjoy your lifehttps://www.facebook.com/help/103859036372845

Idealized version of oneself...how can people survive without self-deprecating humor? How?

Parler is pretty much an alt-right echo sewer, much like Reddit. They also have pretty stringent rules and regs and chuck folk off when it suits. Mostly for saying mad stuff like only women have uteruseses. Private companies.

Who are the Big Tech giants?

I'm still waiting on what the Dems did to try and cancel Trumo post 2016. Unless collectively worrying that a dangerous narcissist had just been elected to the office with the big red button counts?

Genuinely I am confused You mean female uterus, right? Why is it mad to say the obvious?

Transsexual rights has issues with the statement.