RE: My Actifit Report Card and Update: October 14 2023

Twitter deforms and degrades communication.
In 2019 and 2020 I used Twitter extensively for campaigning for Trump and other candidates in Hawaii - I also held dozens of rallys in person - people who would be casually cruel and blatantly rude in person would be absolutely silent in person, I’ve had reporters run from me in person after exchanges on line even though I was neutral or pleasant to them.

1. I believe it can be attributed at least partially to simple human psychology and brain chemistry.

2. 99.95% users of Twitter will never see a dime from it or a sale so there is a different medium of exchange.

3. The strongest emotion reaction producing topics trend - this is almost always something that elicits fear or anger, our minds prioritize negative information for own survival - though our biology betrays us when threats are abstract and omnipresent.

4. Most of humanity feels unable to control or understand the macro events that unfold around us - yet they are constantly saturated in them from a 24 hour news cycle.

5. So users take to Twitter for catharsis, or even just to be validated by someone - as the arguments flow neurotransmitters begin to flood the brain and the participants feel good - alive.

6. In almost all biological processes with a receptor cell mechanism the receptors build up some resistance to a stimulating molecule, and the site of production requires a greater stimulus to start the flow of dopamine or noradrenaline, because of this dampening affect a social media user has to engage in more and more vitriolic fights and gravitate to the strongest reaction producing topics. They become slaves to their own neurobiology and will readily rationalize their behaviors.

7. On Twitter I observe very little attempt at positive persuasion, almost everything is framed in response to why something or someone is bad or horrible, rather than why something may be a more positive alternative. For instance rather than attempt to convince me to adopt a morally or ethically superior position, what I see more often is the attempt to shame or castigate someone for a disagreeable position they hold - manipulative or coercive force rather than persuasion.

This turned into a bit of an essay but it is definitely jarring to go from Hive where civility is incentivized to Twitter where it has little value.