Latest Unsubstantiated Claim: Twitter Makes You Immoral

from the oh,-please... dept

Tue, Apr 14th 2009 10:59am — Mike Masnick

What is it with these bizarre exaggerated claims about the "harms" associated with modern social networking tools? There was just a totally exaggerated report claiming that social networking was harmful to your health, but when you looked at the details, it didn't actually say that at all. The latest, is the claim that new research says that Twitter can make you "immoral." Really? Well, if you actually read the details that doesn't seem to be what the report says at all. Instead, it seems to note that if you only interact with people through short bursts of information, it may take you longer to recognize the emotional impact of what's being said because it's harder to spend the time to reflect. It's difficult to see how that finding is really all that new or surprising. But it says nothing about Twitter somehow turning moral people into immoral people, as the original story suggests.

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Filed Under: hype, morality, studies, twitter
Companies: twitter

29 Comments

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yozoo, 14 Apr 2009 @ 11:03am

Screw these guys
Im gonna get my drug sharing, casual sex twitter group together and we are gonna tweet short, hurtful things about these people (while watching porn)!
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RD, 14 Apr 2009 @ 11:35am

why?
Why? Well, because its on the internets stupid! You see, new technology is scary and people that cant be bothered to understand it lash out and belittle it. If its new and sophisticated, and ESPECIALLY if it empowers people, why, then it must be wrong! Immoral! EVIL! It must be struck down and the scourge must be washed away!

Frickin' luddites.
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Chronno S. Trigger, 14 Apr 2009 @ 11:45am

Unsubstantiated claims galore
How about Facebook dumbs you down.

There is no possible way that one can possibly test these things fully. They can only see correlation not causation. It's like saying air makes people fat due to a study of 10,000 large people where 100% said they breath the stuff.
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Chris, 14 Apr 2009 @ 11:47am

I'm waiting for synchronized internet suicides via Twitter. Surely it'll be a hit in Japan soon, if not already.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:06pm

"...it may take you longer to recognize the emotional impact of what's being said because it's harder to spend the time to reflect. It's difficult to see how that finding is really all that new or surprising"

So you accept the premise that if you don't emote sufficiently you become less moral ? !!!
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:07pm

"Instead, it seems to note that if you only interact with people through short bursts of information, it may take you longer to recognize the emotional impact of what's being said"

In the US Navy I was force to learn Morse Code.

Now I molest kittens.
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Malachai, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:15pm

OUTLANDER!!!!
Your wicked ways will be cleansed by "He Who Walks Behind the Rows".
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TheStuipdOne, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:20pm

Re:
:'(

poor kittens

they probably had it coming anyway ... looking at you like that and purring as they caress your legs
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Tgeigs, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:27pm

Re:
The Flying Spaghetti Monster will reign his noodely vengence upon you in a hail of delicious but fattening meatballs, which you will be helpless to keep from consuming, resulting in a gradual degradation of your arterial health, and killing you in vengence in perhaps...I don't know, twenty years?
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Jim, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:34pm

Immoral
Oh, I thought you said 'immortal'. Damn.
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David Lagesse, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:40pm

News Report: Immortal Dolphins
Dateline: Honolulu, Hawaii,
Reported by Kawika Keoni of the Hawaii News Network
Today dolphin research scientist, Lopaka K. Espinda was arrested at Kewalo Basin.
- - Escaped lion recaptured.

Story as follows:
Approximately three years ago, noted dolphin research scientist, Lopaka K. Espinda developed a theory:
"If seagulls were fed to dolphins every day for a month, the dolphins would never die."
After many failed attempts, Espinda finally got the research grant that he needed for the “Dolphin Feeding Project”.
The Dolphin Research Laboratories, “Dolphin Feeding Project” was carried out at Honolulu's, Kewalo Basin Yacht Harbor.
While elsewhere today, at the Honolulu Zoo the long awaited transfer of lions to the new Hawaii State Zoo on the Big Island, was taking place. After the trucks had left the Honolulu Zoo and were in-route to the airport, one of the lions escaped from the truck.
Police, Fire, Animal Control and Zoo officials were put on alert to be on the lookout for an escaped lion.
When the Governor was notified about the situation, he was heard to say: "I realize it is now the responsibility of the State if any one is hurt by that lion."
It can now be reported that this was the last and final day of the “Dolphin Feeding Project”. Espinda was in the Laboratory's food preparation room preparing the last of the seagulls to feed to the dolphins, as he opened the door he was shocked to find the escaped lion blocking his only pathway out. As he later told this reporter, "I knew that time was running out and that I must complete my project now, or I will never be able to get any new funding." He also stated that he was somewhat relieved to discover that the lion was sound asleep; he then cautiously tiptoed over the sleeping lion.
That is when the Police, Fire, Animal Control and Zoo officials arrived at the scene of the crime, the Police arrested Espinda, and the Zoo officials re-captured the lion.

He was arrested!

But what were the charges?

ILLEGAL TRANSPORTATION OF GULLS ACROSS THE STATE LION, FOR IMMORTAL PORPOISES
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:45pm

Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins
So much build up...so little pay off.
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Crabby (profile), 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:47pm

Re: why?
"ESPECIALLY if it empowers people"

You're onto something, RD. It's not that people are scared of the technology, they're scared of losing control over other people. They're scared that they might not matter in the grand scheme of things. That's why you see every politician jumping onto the bandwagon to save us from the perils of technology -- we might realize just how useless they are.
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Tgeigs, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:48pm

Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins
David, it's important to me that you know that I'm praying for your death right now...
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David Lagesse, 14 Apr 2009 @ 12:58pm

Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins, by Tgeigs
At least now you have started praying for something, we had all thought there was no hope for you.
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Yakko Warner, 14 Apr 2009 @ 1:03pm

Re: Immoral
This must be my day for mis-reading Techdirt titles, because that's what I thought, too. Figured it'd be a story on the persistence of things posted to the intertubes...
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Tgeigs, 14 Apr 2009 @ 1:28pm

Re: Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins, by Tgeigs
Took a look at your site. As a fellow native Illinoian (sp?) and apparently fellow Navy Seamen as well, I retract my statement and proclaim your joke the most humorous of all time. Especially if you ever attained rank above Chief Petty Officer.
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David Lagesse, 14 Apr 2009 @ 1:47pm

Re: Re: Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins, by Tgeigs
Right on all counts! Except - I never made it past DC PO3
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Angelica, 14 Apr 2009 @ 1:51pm

Re: Re: Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins, by Tgeigs
It's Illinoisan.
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zcat, 14 Apr 2009 @ 1:58pm

Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins
Joke FAIL. If you're going to tell a shaggy dog story at least get the details correct so the punchline makes some sense.

They were Mynah birds [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myna], not gulls. And the Lion had been sedated, which is why it fell asleep outside his door.

Charges; transporting mynas across a sedate lion for immortal porpoises.
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Tgeigs, 14 Apr 2009 @ 2:12pm

"Joke FAIL. If you're going to tell a shaggy dog story at least get the details correct so the punchline makes some sense."

David, as your vaguely former superior officer in a roundabout way, I order you to fire upon that man with the 80mm guns and then retreat in one of the LCVPs.
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kirillian (profile), 14 Apr 2009 @ 2:57pm

Re: Unsubstantiated claims galore
dang...I knew air was hazardous to my health...guess I'll have to turn to more acceptable methods to keep this impending weight off...bulimia or anorexia...
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David Lagesse, 14 Apr 2009 @ 3:53pm

Re: Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins
Note to Zcat:
What ever way anyone hears anything the first time, is always the 'right way', to them.
You heard it as "mynas across a sedate lion". I did not, I heard it, one time only, on Chicago's WLS radio way back in the 1960's as "gulls across the state lion".
Your way is 'right' to you. You tell it 'your way'.
My way is 'right' to me. I'll tell it 'my way'.

I know what a myna bird is... I lived in Hawaii.
BTW How is your memory?
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David Lagesse, 14 Apr 2009 @ 3:57pm

Re: Re: News Report: Immortal Dolphins
Order carried out, used all four deck canons, mission accomplished, SIR!
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Tony, 14 Apr 2009 @ 4:22pm

WTF?
I suppose keeping a diary, if you write short entries, is immoral. Maybe keeping a diary, itself, is immoral! So is leaving a postit note on the fridge... You know what? Every thing we do, say or eat, is going to result in school shootings, the downfall of society and give us cancer! Shit, we should just drink some hemlock now!

GAH!
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VlogHog, 14 Apr 2009 @ 4:51pm

Twitter is immoral, dangerous and a threat to all humaan civilization.

People communicating with each other is sick.
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toyotabedzrock, 14 Apr 2009 @ 6:37pm

Causes Lack of Morales to be Exposed
I think Twitter has caused stupid Republicans lack of morales to be publicly exposed.
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