Retweets as quantifiers of interest, but so what?
[ by Charles Cameron — mostly skeptical of quantification of human affects ]
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TwShiloh retweeted these two NJ Homeland Security tweets (DoubleTweet in the Wild!) with a comment:
Two products released at the same time. Note the retweet/like rates. ?That’s what confirmation bias looks like on Twitter.
I’m just now sure what I should deduce from the fact that Anarchy gets so many more RTs than White Supremacy.
Anarchist Extremists: Antifa – https://t.co/mX4snJDPCQ #IntelUnclass #Antifa #anarchist #extremists pic.twitter.com/RSLgNb5Nby
— NJ Homeland Security (@NJOHSP) June 12, 2017
and:
Snapshot: The Face of White Supremacy in 2017 – https://t.co/kJhpomoP1j #IntelUnclass #whitesupremacy pic.twitter.com/psmQJyJ8HS
— NJ Ho
Terror attacks receive five times more media coverage if perpetrator is Muslim, study finds! https://t.co/2Dm1DhHoZX
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 4, 2017
meland Security (@NJOHSP) June 12, 2017
Are we more inclined to favor attacks on the left (anarchists) than on the right (supremacists) — does left violence just seem more noteworthy — do more people from one side of the divide follow New Jersey Homeland Security, maybe — or is it all just a little to anecdotal and indeterminate to form any conclusions?
H/t JM Berger.
Charles Cameron:
July 4th, 2017 at 8:11 pm
Scott:
July 4th, 2017 at 11:00 pm
I think it’s because the majority of the population has more to fear from Antifa than from white supremacists. Both sides are nuts, but nowadays only one is actually committing violence.
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Also, “right-wing trolls” wtf. Way to just dismiss people you don’t agree with. The alt-right position is much more nuanced than some of these academic ivory-tower types would have you believe.
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And on this Fourth of July, I’ll stop here before I get really worked up.