Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

sore thumb
Posts: 242
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 10:27am

Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by sore thumb »

I’ve stated to notice that when cycling groups/organisations post anything about cycling to promote or encourage cycling that the majority of the reply’s are directly anti-cycling or passive aggressive anti-cycling posts.

I’m wondering if the increasing anti-cycling targeted hate posts generally that are replying to cycling organisations are a result of the alleged lack of filtering of hate / aggression by Twitter and the alleged failure of twitters reporting system, or a result of how our society is generally anti-cycling at the moment.

In that past when I have reported hate I’ve had action taken but more recently when I’ve reported cyclist hate I’ve not had a single action taken. 🤔🤔

Are we seeing a targeted hate against cyclists increasing in society and then seeing this increase in social media and/or is it a potential failure in certain social media companys that are failing to prevent the increase in hate posts

A sad result of this, is no one can post anything nice about cycling without being bombarded by a large amount of targeted cyclists hate. I’m sure some will just block and ignore these types of posts, but a lot of people won’t be able to cope with the stress of this and could also become more fearful of cycling and fear that there appears to be an increase in cyclists being targeted out on the road.

It’s putting me off even reading CyclingUKs Twitter feed as most reply’s are now anti-cycling, reading the reply’s just makes you depressed and makes you feel frightened and that you as a cyclist are just hated so much.

Such a sad society we are living in at the moment. There is no tolerance
Tangled Metal
Posts: 9505
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Tangled Metal »

Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
axel_knutt
Posts: 2881
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 12:20pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by axel_knutt »

Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
It won't get better by ignoring them, they'll just sit in their own little world telling each other what they want to hear.
If you want to change anything you need to preach to the unconverted.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
sore thumb
Posts: 242
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 10:27am

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitte

Post by sore thumb »

Don’t read the daily Mail

And not using Twitter helps me but does not stop the hate and does not change that the anti cycling posts when a cycling organisation is posting is fuelling reducing cycling numbers.

Unfortunately just ignoring the increasing cycling hate could be allowing it to increase

Sadly the increasing cycling hate would make anyone think twice even just putting up a nice picture of a nice ride on social media. Put anything about cycling on social media, and you get a pile on of anti cycling trolls.

Is the negative cycling posts due to a very vocal minority and/or a true representation of society’s opinion of cyclists?

Can anything really be done, or do we just accept the abuse?

🤔🤔
Tangled Metal
Posts: 9505
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Tangled Metal »

Has engaging with DM and anti cycling types made any difference? I doubt it hence the advice not to read it. However that doesn't stop anyone doing something about it when hate happens to you ill. Online step away but in person you could do something. Up to you what!
Nearholmer
Posts: 3930
Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Nearholmer »

In a public space like twitter or much of Facebook, the audience for the challenging of bigotry isn’t the initiating bigot, it’s the potential bigots, who might just be swayed if they see that there are other perspectives. They equally might not, but half a win is better that a whole defeat.
Mike_Ayling
Posts: 385
Joined: 25 Sep 2017, 3:02am
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Mike_Ayling »

Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
Agree
User avatar
Cowsham
Posts: 4963
Joined: 4 Nov 2019, 1:33pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Cowsham »

Mike_Ayling wrote: 12 Mar 2023, 1:17am
Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
Agree
+ 1 more --- twitters for twits
If your looking for the drages of society go to Facebook or twitter you'll find them all there waiting on you.
I am here. Where are you?
rareposter
Posts: 1992
Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by rareposter »

A lot of it will be bots. If the username is [name][bunch of numbers] it's likely to be an AI bot so "arguing" with it is going to make zero difference.
Twitter bots can be used for helpful purposes, such as broadcasting important public information in real time, sharing informative content en masse, and generating automatic replies via direct messaging.

But they can also be designed for malicious purposes like platform intimidation and manipulation — spreading fake news campaigns, spamming, violating others’ privacy, and sock-puppet marketing.

Kind of like those clickbait headlines that are designed to get you clicking through to a "story", they simply want engagement. You click through and what follows is 10 pages of adverts, pop ups and further clickbait links. Meanwhile it's making a reference that you (your IP address, your social media account) have engaged with it so it'll generate more content along similar lines to fire at you.

Twitter has got far worse recently since Musk sacked most of the people that made it work well.Shame because there's some genuinely brilliant content on Twitter in particular, it's used by a lot of academics, researchers, journalists etc.
cycle tramp
Posts: 3532
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by cycle tramp »

axel_knutt wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 7:21pm
Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
It won't get better by ignoring them, they'll just sit in their own little world telling each other what they want to hear.
If you want to change anything you need to preach to the unconverted.
In the same way that i don't attempt to play chess with my chickens (they'll simply knock the pieces over, be foul the board but still strutt around like they've won the game) I say don't bother with twitter.

Indeed, everyone should now just walk away from it, now that idiot Musk has got hold of it.

Engaging with these sort of people is a complete waste of time which could have been spent cycling. Indeed, being seen doing something that you enjoy is the best way to get others interested.

I suspect many who post on twitter are scared little boys and girls too frightened of the real world. Speak to them in the street person to person and they will wet themselves.

One only has to look at Clarkson and all his hate against cyclists to see that he is simply a scared person - if someone actually spoke to him the guy is so outta of shape, he'll probably have a heart attack.
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
User avatar
Cugel
Posts: 5430
Joined: 13 Nov 2017, 11:14am

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Cugel »

Cowsham wrote: 12 Mar 2023, 8:08am
Mike_Ayling wrote: 12 Mar 2023, 1:17am
Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
Agree
+ 1 more --- twitters for twits
If your looking for the drages of society go to Facebook or twitter you'll find them all there waiting on you.
Just so. And going there to fight the millions of creeps doing their various nastinesses will not change them but may change you! For the worse!!

Not to say that these anti-social cesspools shouldn't be campaigned against in whatever way one can. They need to be turned from being the cyber equivalent of the genocidal wild west beloved of violent swivel-eyed loons - destroying the cyber ecology in their digging for fame-gold - into proper societies with the various attributes of a civilisation.

Mind, what's the point of getting such places to emulate civilisation when civilisation has degraded to a condition where it's barely civilised any more? Reality is coming to resemble Facepuke and Muskwallow rather than the other way 'round.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
User avatar
Lance Dopestrong
Posts: 1306
Joined: 18 Sep 2014, 1:52pm
Location: Duddington, in the belly button of England

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Lance Dopestrong »

Tangled Metal wrote: 11 Mar 2023, 6:57pm Solution 1, don't use twitter.

Also don't read daily mail. 😂
Right on. Organised social media is just full of hateful, nasty, intolersnt, self opinionated whackos of all stripe. Not a healthy place at all.

And during the day the few that have jobs work for the Mail! :lol:
MIAS L5.1 instructor - advanded road and off road skills, FAST aid and casualty care, defensive tactics, SAR skills, nav, group riding, maintenance, ride and group leader qual'd.
Cytec 2 - exponent of hammer applied brute force.
Vorpal
Moderator
Posts: 20700
Joined: 19 Jan 2009, 3:34pm
Location: Not there ;)

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Vorpal »

They are mostly bots & trolls. Twitter previously filtered out quite a few of those, but they let so many staff go, and the person in charge is more interested in the money it makes.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
User avatar
Lance Dopestrong
Posts: 1306
Joined: 18 Sep 2014, 1:52pm
Location: Duddington, in the belly button of England

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Lance Dopestrong »

Although turnover is immense it hadn't made a profit, or positive net income, since 2019, and even then only a moderate one. There isn't any money for those interested in profit.

That being the case I'm not sure at all either why Musk bought it thinking he could make money, or why employees thought the business model could continue ad infinitum. It wasn't a viable business model as it was, and seems unlikely to suddenly become one moving forward. It seems he may do nothing more than hasten the demise that was eventually inevitable anyway.
MIAS L5.1 instructor - advanded road and off road skills, FAST aid and casualty care, defensive tactics, SAR skills, nav, group riding, maintenance, ride and group leader qual'd.
Cytec 2 - exponent of hammer applied brute force.
Tangled Metal
Posts: 9505
Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Noticing increasing anti-cycling posts on twitter

Post by Tangled Metal »

rareposter wrote: 12 Mar 2023, 8:18am A lot of it will be bots. If the username is [name][bunch of numbers] it's likely to be an AI bot so "arguing" with it is going to make zero difference.
Twitter bots can be used for helpful purposes, such as broadcasting important public information in real time, sharing informative content en masse, and generating automatic replies via direct messaging.

But they can also be designed for malicious purposes like platform intimidation and manipulation — spreading fake news campaigns, spamming, violating others’ privacy, and sock-puppet marketing.

Kind of like those clickbait headlines that are designed to get you clicking through to a "story", they simply want engagement. You click through and what follows is 10 pages of adverts, pop ups and further clickbait links. Meanwhile it's making a reference that you (your IP address, your social media account) have engaged with it so it'll generate more content along similar lines to fire at you.

Twitter has got far worse recently since Musk sacked most of the people that made it work well.Shame because there's some genuinely brilliant content on Twitter in particular, it's used by a lot of academics, researchers, journalists etc.
Are there any bots set up to counter negative bots? Let the bots argue it out while humans do something more interesting like riding a bike, doing your garden or going for a swim. Perhaps even walking your dog into pub!
Post Reply