Twitter is a massive echo-chamber, reinforcing their belief in themselves and most people believe them because the internet-oligarchy hides and censors different outlooks on society (not that I necessarily agree with those outlooks, but still).
Best example: All of the twitter-mob was hyping themselves up about the german election, the young generation being all green, all "Generation Greta" as some called it. There was no way that anyone except the greens would get ALL the votes of ALL young or first -voters. Except reality hit and they found out that an equal percentage voted for economic liberalism and less state instead of state intervention and illiberal politics. Somehow, the calls of the left for lowering the voting age have been conspicously absent since then...
It's not really an echo chamber though, or at least it's leaky as hell.
For example, visit from the UK during the Conservative party conference, and you get 'Trending in the UK - #ToryScum' even without logging in, or logging in to a profile that leans right (i.e. that trending 'hashtag' is the opposite of reinforcing an echo chamber for me if I have one) and there's not even anything particular going on that I'm aware of to incite it. It's just a hateful place.
At the Labour conference a week or so ago, an MP referred to Tories as “scum”. Yup, that’s the majority of the voting population, and the ones they are trying to win over, are ‘scum’.
I agree twitter is a hateful place, but so is the political left. But the vast majority of twitter are also very left wing.
1. "Tories" refers to the party members not the people who voted for them.
2. Only 44% voted for the Tories so not a majority.
I can't disagree that twitter is full of hate but I can laugh at your stated impression about the political left and the political leanings of twitter. It's like complaining that environmental scientists are biased in their belief in climate change.
Oh. Well I don't have to look it up to guess who that would be, but I think my point stands - it's not 'people are talking about that she said that', but a 'hashtag' used presumably to echo the sentiment. I wish it were confined to its chamber.
(And fwiw I don't want to see '#LabourScum' either.)
I'm starting to believe internet in general does this. Being in your room leads your thinking to different roads. When closer to other people you aim for something else. Deeper more subtle connection with others.
Best example: All of the twitter-mob was hyping themselves up about the german election, the young generation being all green, all "Generation Greta" as some called it. There was no way that anyone except the greens would get ALL the votes of ALL young or first -voters. Except reality hit and they found out that an equal percentage voted for economic liberalism and less state instead of state intervention and illiberal politics. Somehow, the calls of the left for lowering the voting age have been conspicously absent since then...