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News & politics

Gransnet, Facebook and Twitter.

(63 Posts)
volver Sat 26-Feb-22 09:18:10

Very often we hear the boast from posters on this forum that they don’t have Facebook/Twitter or so on because it’s a hotbed of lies and disinformation. Well in the past couple of days we have had a poster spreading lies about the reasons Russia have attacked Ukraine, we have had speculation on the source of the coronavirus which has sparked a slew of people saying they know it all along, and we’ve had completely wrong information about the progress of the Ukrainian invasion. Then we have the relatively unimportant attacks on minor royals who we’ve decided aren’t worthy of the name and we’ve had scaremongering about covid testing.

Nobody is immune to succumbing to disinformation. Don’t think that just because you’re a savvy old bird that they’ll get nothing past you. I’d be willing to bet that there are things you think are true that are based on false facts created by some unknown source. I don’t exclude myself from this.

If something is outlandish, if something is unlikely, if something sounds plausible because it supports your preconceptions but doesn’t have any facts to back it up, please take a minute to think, is this true? Remember that half an hour on google isn’t the same as several years’ experience in a subject. There’s no point in complaining about Facebook when that’s just a bigger version of Gransnet. People spread lies there and they spread lies here.

Now please feel free to tell me I don’t run the site, people can post what they like and that I have a stick up my a***. Heard it all before.

BigBertha1 Sun 27-Feb-22 10:08:55

That was meant to be I'm on FB

volver Sun 27-Feb-22 09:44:45

Everybody.

Everybody knows.

Except the stragglers who are a bit slow on the uptake.

Mollygo Sun 27-Feb-22 08:27:06

I like a mystery too and I wondered about this one until I was reading some posts on another thread with a definite bias I’ve come across before. I didn’t think troll, just reincarnation. Who knows?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 27-Feb-22 07:31:06

“Lies, and damned lies and statistics” always been around from when it was just word of mouth throughout millennial to today.

The only difference is it happens quicker now.

That’s life - get over it and remain sceptical.

BigBertha1 Sun 27-Feb-22 07:15:00

I am on TH and find it quite useful for neighborhood news, my netball groups , friends and family. I keep a close eye on it and don't agree to be friends with anyone I don't know personally. I don't do Twitter because I don't really understand how it works. Been on Gransnet almost since the beginning but post less and less.

Doodledog Sat 26-Feb-22 20:29:41

JaneJudge

I find all this unnecessarily bitchy

I just don't understand it. I can't really follow the clues, as 90% of the politics on here goes right over my head.

JaneJudge Sat 26-Feb-22 20:28:23

I find all this unnecessarily bitchy

MerylStreep Sat 26-Feb-22 20:25:43

Callistemon
Nuff said ?

Callistemon21 Sat 26-Feb-22 20:20:53

DiscoDancer1975

nanna8

I preferred the previous incarnation, not so aggressive and more reasonable. And not such an obvious troll.

Yes....even worse than before.....

Please don't fall into the traps which are being set.

MerylStreep Sat 26-Feb-22 20:19:54

Doodledog
It’s hardly Agatha Christy ? Follow the clues.

Doodledog Sat 26-Feb-22 20:14:23

Probably, but I'm a sucker for a mystery grin

Marydoll Sat 26-Feb-22 20:06:38

Doodledog

Germanshepherdsmum

What have I missed?

No idea, but my interest is piqued now too.

Me too. Howevr, I think that was the purpose of the innuendo. wink

Doodledog Sat 26-Feb-22 19:56:02

Germanshepherdsmum

What have I missed?

No idea, but my interest is piqued now too.

DiscoDancer1975 Sat 26-Feb-22 19:52:32

volver

Nah, don't worry. Got my big girl pants on.

I wasn’t worried...you go ahead if you feel that’s what you should do.

volver Sat 26-Feb-22 19:51:28

Nah, don't worry. Got my big girl pants on.

DiscoDancer1975 Sat 26-Feb-22 19:50:18

volver

Maybe I'll just report you anyway then, just to be on the safe side?

Ok....

Marydoll Sat 26-Feb-22 19:48:36

volver

DiscoDancer1975

nanna8

I preferred the previous incarnation, not so aggressive and more reasonable. And not such an obvious troll.

Yes....even worse than before.....

Would you like to share who you think the troll is? Remembering that calling people trolls gets you deleted from GN? smile

This only leads to more speculation and perhaps people may wrongly suspected. ??

volver Sat 26-Feb-22 19:47:48

Maybe I'll just report you anyway then, just to be on the safe side?

DiscoDancer1975 Sat 26-Feb-22 19:45:44

Mmmmm. Good point. No, I would never divulge. My lips are sealed.

volver Sat 26-Feb-22 19:42:20

DiscoDancer1975

nanna8

I preferred the previous incarnation, not so aggressive and more reasonable. And not such an obvious troll.

Yes....even worse than before.....

Would you like to share who you think the troll is? Remembering that calling people trolls gets you deleted from GN? smile

Germanshepherdsmum Sat 26-Feb-22 19:36:21

What have I missed?

DiscoDancer1975 Sat 26-Feb-22 18:44:28

nanna8

I preferred the previous incarnation, not so aggressive and more reasonable. And not such an obvious troll.

Yes....even worse than before.....

Mollygo Sat 26-Feb-22 18:21:20

I use FB for groups and some family stuff. Most family stuff is via WhatsApp. I also use Twitter mostly because I find firms respond more quickly to requests or complaints that are put on line.
The main differences between being unkind or spreading misinformation on the internet, whether GN, FB, Twitter et al, and gossiping over the garden fence is that you knew who had given you the misinformation and you knew that you and the listener knew who spread the bad feeling over the fence.
Even on FB, and definitely on T or GN, people hide behind pseudonyms so can be as untruthful or nasty as they like whilst still showing a different face in public.

AreWeThereYet Sat 26-Feb-22 18:13:27

I used to work with someone who was sacked after telling his mates on FB that he had taken a day off sick so he could go to the races. Don't know if he didn't set his privacy properly or someone at work dobbed him in or what. When he got to work the next day he was called in and told to leave the premises.

JaneJudge Sat 26-Feb-22 18:06:25

I am in a few specialist groups on facebook and I find them to be quite sexist towards women confused but I find quite a lot f men's comments on facebook sexist and in RL if I am honest