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Folks, sharing some thoughts on the farmers' protest, twitter, Koo etc. Let's see how it goes!
Folks, sharing some thoughts on the farmers' protest, twitter, Koo etc. Let's see how it goes!
Let me begin by talking about the wave of euphoria that the global 'liberal' ecosystem has been riding ever since the defeat of Donald Trump in the just concluded US Presidential elections.
I'm not going to comment upon the controversies surrounding the conduct of the election because frankly, it doesn't matter anymore .. atleast not for the time being.
However, fact remains that social as well as mainstream media played a BIG role during that election.
However, fact remains that social as well as mainstream media played a BIG role during that election.
And the biggest of the highs came when they banned a still sitting US President from Twitter!
How's THAT for 'Cancel Culture', eh?!!
How's THAT for 'Cancel Culture', eh?!!
One can only imagine the mood in boardrooms of atleast a few social media giants in the immediate aftermath - they had shown Trump his place!
But ..
But ..
But ..
They had only dared to do so once it was crystal clear that he wasn't coming back to power. They didn't have the guts to do so when, atleast in their opinions, he was being a danger to flow of authentic information.
So much bravado, huh?
They had only dared to do so once it was crystal clear that he wasn't coming back to power. They didn't have the guts to do so when, atleast in their opinions, he was being a danger to flow of authentic information.
So much bravado, huh?
However, it hardly mattered now.
Not only was Trump out of office, but there was a brand new administration in place in Washington .. one that for most part endorsed their so-called worldview on 'free' speech!
Not only was Trump out of office, but there was a brand new administration in place in Washington .. one that for most part endorsed their so-called worldview on 'free' speech!
Pretty soon, the next major 'project' was in sight - The Indian Democracy!
It was merely 'coincidental' that the capital city of the Republic of India was besieged by so called farmers, bingeing on pizzas, foot massagers and other good stuff that was magically appearing at the ..
It was merely 'coincidental' that the capital city of the Republic of India was besieged by so called farmers, bingeing on pizzas, foot massagers and other good stuff that was magically appearing at the ..
.. 'protest' sites.
That they didn't know, and STILL aren't able to clarify what exactly was it that they were opposing in the newly passed farm laws was immaterial.
That they didn't know, and STILL aren't able to clarify what exactly was it that they were opposing in the newly passed farm laws was immaterial.
26th January was keenly awaited by the 'champions of free speech'. The very foundations of the Republic of India were supposed to be shaken to their very core that day, thanks to the protesting 'farmers' stealing the thunder from the Republic Day celebrations!
And true to their form, the loonies on their tractors didn't disappoint!
Visuals of the ruckus created by them at the Red Fort soon occupied more newsprint than the Republic Day celebrations, what with the disrespect to the Tricolour and all that.
Yes, they were on a high!
But ..
Visuals of the ruckus created by them at the Red Fort soon occupied more newsprint than the Republic Day celebrations, what with the disrespect to the Tricolour and all that.
Yes, they were on a high!
But ..
What they didn't know was that the govt, through its supposed inaction, had in fact given them a looooong rope, and now they had hanged themselves from that very rope!
Visuals of the Tricolour being disrespected soon turned their 'victory' over its head! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1354405542207184903
Visuals of the Tricolour being disrespected soon turned their 'victory' over its head! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1354405542207184903
The entire Nation rose as one against them.
The so-called 'farmer' protest had fallen flat under the weight of its own contradictions!
Of course, they refused to believe that and decided to march to the Parliament just about a week later!
The so-called 'farmer' protest had fallen flat under the weight of its own contradictions!
Of course, they refused to believe that and decided to march to the Parliament just about a week later!
But the 'powers that be' were aware that the damage had been done by the antics of the tractor guys at the Red Fort.
They decided that for the movement to be salvaged, the march to the Parliament just had to succeed, no matter what the cost!
They decided that for the movement to be salvaged, the march to the Parliament just had to succeed, no matter what the cost!
Thus they decided to bring out the 'Big' guns!
Rihanna Ji, Mia Ji, Greta Ji and many many more world famous 'crusaders' descended upon the social media talking about the poor 'farmers' of India.
Their tears were as real as the best 'makeover' artists could make them to be!
Rihanna Ji, Mia Ji, Greta Ji and many many more world famous 'crusaders' descended upon the social media talking about the poor 'farmers' of India.
Their tears were as real as the best 'makeover' artists could make them to be!
But then, though they are renowned for their 'outrage', such folks are rarely accused of something far more sinister - That of being Intelligent!
Greta Ji soon leaked out the entire 'cheat-sheet', or the toolkit as she called it.
Greta Ji soon leaked out the entire 'cheat-sheet', or the toolkit as she called it.
That mohtarma not only leaked out the entire plan, but also those associated with it!
This international panauti resulted in atleast one FIR against a fellow 'crusader' in Mumbai and also forced quite a few twitter accounts to be self-deleted! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1357369636614885376
This international panauti resulted in atleast one FIR against a fellow 'crusader' in Mumbai and also forced quite a few twitter accounts to be self-deleted! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1357369636614885376
Needless to say, the mega march to Parliament too fizzled out without a trace! Farmer protest was now postponed to the month of October!
Oh, talking about panautis, I'll leave this tweet here as well! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1343065919916920838
Oh, talking about panautis, I'll leave this tweet here as well! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1343065919916920838
The Indian democracy had withstood a massive assault and emerged unscathed, atleast in this round.
Why I say this?
Because I am of firm conviction that this isn't over yet.
Kutte ki duum will never get straightened, not until it is cut off, that is.
Why I say this?
Because I am of firm conviction that this isn't over yet.
Kutte ki duum will never get straightened, not until it is cut off, that is.
The GOI requested Twitter to take action against some usual suspects that were seeking to fan violence through disinformation.
Twitter obliged them and withheld some of the big handles .. TEMPORARILY!
The moment they realized, those handles were back!
Twitter obliged them and withheld some of the big handles .. TEMPORARILY!
The moment they realized, those handles were back!
Take that GOI, their boardrooms must have echoed!
But the GOI not only took that, but also hit it out of the ground for a six, when they now demanded a thousand plus handles to be sorted out for indulging in propaganda against the Union of India!
But the GOI not only took that, but also hit it out of the ground for a six, when they now demanded a thousand plus handles to be sorted out for indulging in propaganda against the Union of India!
Unsurprisingly, STILL riding their hubristic high, Twitter folks simply REFUSED to do so!
TWEETS MUST FLOW, they said, and high fived each other!
(Ok, so the 'High Five' thing is just a creative visualization of the offices of Twitter by yours truly!)
TWEETS MUST FLOW, they said, and high fived each other!
(Ok, so the 'High Five' thing is just a creative visualization of the offices of Twitter by yours truly!)
But there is no denying, the sanctimonious 'crusaders' of 'free' speech were far too drunk on their own preferred potions!
Until the Govt of India gave a 'High Five' right on their cheeks and brought them back to Mother Earth!
Until the Govt of India gave a 'High Five' right on their cheeks and brought them back to Mother Earth!
These words uttered in the Parliament of India made it clear to Twitter and other such folks - Abide by our laws, or pack up. https://twitter.com/anilkohli54/status/1359753323910361089
Basically, here was the Govt of India, politely telling the social media 'crusaders' - SAADDA Kutta Tommy. Have no doubts about that!
Btw, it was the same Parliament that these 'free speech crusaders' had wanted to be seen besieged by their tractor mounted loonies!
Capitol Hill was an insurrection, but this would have been a 'legitimate freedom', just as the Red Fort mayhem was.
Capitol Hill was an insurrection, but this would have been a 'legitimate freedom', just as the Red Fort mayhem was.
But then, no one has ever accused the 'liberal' ecosystem of double standards, right?
Well, back to the topic at hand, not only did the GOI slap them HARD, but also gave them the heebie-geebies when the Ministry of Electronics & IT itself moved on to a new platform - Koo!
Well, back to the topic at hand, not only did the GOI slap them HARD, but also gave them the heebie-geebies when the Ministry of Electronics & IT itself moved on to a new platform - Koo!
I'm sure that the 'good' folks of Twitter must've got the message.
They acted SWIFTLY, proudly proclaiming that they had blocked NINETY SEVEN PERCENT of the accounts reported by the GOI.
They acted SWIFTLY, proudly proclaiming that they had blocked NINETY SEVEN PERCENT of the accounts reported by the GOI.
But like an errant child (sometimes also referred to as GB in Indian folklore 
), who still keeps on sulking even after a resounding slap for his misdemeanours, they just couldn't bring themselves to comply 100% with the GOI instructions.
), who still keeps on sulking even after a resounding slap for his misdemeanours, they just couldn't bring themselves to comply 100% with the GOI instructions.
TAKE THAT, GOI, their boardrooms must have echoed, even as they rubbed their reddened cheeks, trying to take out the sting of the slap somewhat!
What they STILL don't realize is that just like their tractor mounted 'friends', they are also slowly hanging themselves by the rope!
What they STILL don't realize is that just like their tractor mounted 'friends', they are also slowly hanging themselves by the rope!
Ok, time to travel back up this thread a bit where I talked about the 'inadvertent' leak of the cheatsheet .. err .. toolkit; I dedicate this video to the collective intelligence of the 'liberal' ecosystem 
Moving on after that celebratory gunfire in the tweet above!
The GOI not only talked the talk, but they are also walking the walk. A much needed step, I'd say.
These buggers CANNOT be allowed a free run to interfere with our internal affairs. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1359777017831460867
The GOI not only talked the talk, but they are also walking the walk. A much needed step, I'd say.
These buggers CANNOT be allowed a free run to interfere with our internal affairs. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1359777017831460867
Till such time they were mere platforms for expression of views, it was fine. But ever since Twitter, FB etc assumed the mantle of being ARBITERS of free speech, they chose to forego that immunity that comes by the virtue of being a mere platform.
To quote the late uncle of Shri Spiderman Ji here, 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility'.
However, atleast a few of the social media giants simply failed to adjust to the power that they wielded over flow of information, and tried to regulate it to THEIR OWN LIKING!
However, atleast a few of the social media giants simply failed to adjust to the power that they wielded over flow of information, and tried to regulate it to THEIR OWN LIKING!
Instead of being a neutral platform, they decided to 'moderate' the content in order to ensure that one set of beliefs gets a larger audience at the expense of another.
In came shadow bans!
Here's a thread on that.
MUST SEE.
I INSIST! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1269605823510007808
In came shadow bans!
Here's a thread on that.
MUST SEE.
I INSIST! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1269605823510007808
In their hubris, they forgot one VERY IMPORTANT thing - No one lives forever!
Graveyards of the world are filled with people who thought they were indispensable! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1359685802159181825
Graveyards of the world are filled with people who thought they were indispensable! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1359685802159181825
Riding on a high of their 'success' in the recently concluded US Presidential Election, they think they can get away with anything.
Over here, allow me to indulge in a conspiracy theory - they are going to try to replicate this 'success' in 2024 Indian General Election as well.
Over here, allow me to indulge in a conspiracy theory - they are going to try to replicate this 'success' in 2024 Indian General Election as well.
Of course, I may be entirely wrong in that regard, but then, so be it!
Not only the 2024 General Election in India gives them a chance to remove another (in their opinion) 'fascist' regime, but more importantly, it would also serve as a validating ground for the ..
Not only the 2024 General Election in India gives them a chance to remove another (in their opinion) 'fascist' regime, but more importantly, it would also serve as a validating ground for the ..
.. next US Presidential election that will follw some months later.
But then, like I said, it might just be a figment of my imagination!
But then, like I said, it might just be a figment of my imagination!
However, it definitely seems that the GOI will NOT let that happen. I doubt that social media giants will be given a free run to screw our elections by misinformation.
With the benefit of hindsight, the 'App Challenge' of August last year does sound a step in that direction, no?
Twitter was already a bull gone rogue by then. http://www.businessworld.in/article/Koo-App-Wins-PM-Modi-s-AatmaNirbhar-App-Challenge/07-08-2020-306163/
Twitter was already a bull gone rogue by then. http://www.businessworld.in/article/Koo-App-Wins-PM-Modi-s-AatmaNirbhar-App-Challenge/07-08-2020-306163/
Of course, there have been other 'alternatives' to Twitter in recent past - Tooter, Mastodon, Gutrgoo, Gab etc etc.
However, with Koo there are two things that are different -
1. GOI handles moving there.
2. Many more individual users moving there than on other platforms in past.
However, with Koo there are two things that are different -
1. GOI handles moving there.
2. Many more individual users moving there than on other platforms in past.
But this also means that Koo will always be accused of being a 'Sarkari' platform, even if it may not necessarily be one.
Then there are other challenges to be overcome.
This here is one of them. (I'm just sharing this report as an example, mind you) https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/koo-app-found-to-be-leaking-sensitive-users-data-china-connection-surfaces-1768054-2021-02-11
Then there are other challenges to be overcome.
This here is one of them. (I'm just sharing this report as an example, mind you) https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/koo-app-found-to-be-leaking-sensitive-users-data-china-connection-surfaces-1768054-2021-02-11
Of course, there is also the small matter of personal worldviews of the owners of the new app. Once again, NO insinuations are intended here by me. Instead, I just wish to highlight a potentially unknown factor. https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1359355264030236676
Then there is the small matter of a new platform ending up being an echo chamber for just one side of the political discourse. But then, isn't twitter too well on its way towards becoming something similar? https://twitter.com/DesiOptimystic/status/1360282498178105346
In order to highlight the points I made in the two-three tweets above, I'll leave this screenshot here.
The glee is quite apparent.
But this dolt doesn't understand that without a free exchange of ideas of ALL hues, social media would lose the very purpose behind its existence!
The glee is quite apparent.
But this dolt doesn't understand that without a free exchange of ideas of ALL hues, social media would lose the very purpose behind its existence!
A LOT of people have alluded to this fact - free flow of all views. Here is what I too wrote not so long ago https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1269623951543525377
Gut feeling tells me that days of Twitter are limited, atleast in India. Somehow, I doubt that Twitter will be as big a player in 2024 General Elections, as it is today.
However, that said, Koo will always face the stigma of being a 'Sarkari' App.
However, that said, Koo will always face the stigma of being a 'Sarkari' App.
Ideally, a new app should have seen individual users endorsing it in good numbers, followed by Govt handles. Unfortunately, in case of Koo, it has been the other way round.
Once again, I am NOT saying that it is by design. I am merely stating a fact.
Once again, I am NOT saying that it is by design. I am merely stating a fact.
What is ideally needed is an ecosystem which will see atleast a couple of indigenous apps competing on their own merits to be the one that will potentially become the leader in the aftermath of the demise of the current giants that rule the ecosystem.
To that end, one other app that I have been waiting for a while now is
@ChirrupsApp, who are working on a chat as well as microblog.
Though nothing has been heard from them since long, I only hope they come up with something soon. https://twitter.com/ChirrupsApp/status/1316571651882971137
@ChirrupsApp, who are working on a chat as well as microblog.
Though nothing has been heard from them since long, I only hope they come up with something soon. https://twitter.com/ChirrupsApp/status/1316571651882971137
Their app on Playstore does have chat and microblog both functioning, but they don't seem to have officially announced it yet.
One hopes that their own platform matures soon, and there is atleast one more alternative available with us.
One hopes that their own platform matures soon, and there is atleast one more alternative available with us.
In the end, as I close this thread, all that I'll say is : 'Cancel Culture' works both ways!
Just look at Koo.
Just look at how @gaana have fared earlier today, thanks to a bigoted idiot on their payroll.
Just look at Koo.
Just look at how @gaana have fared earlier today, thanks to a bigoted idiot on their payroll.
As far as Twitter goes, I see many folks anticipating a temporary ban coming their way soon. While I don't discount this possibility, I'll ask them as to what is more damning - A ban, or the THREAT of a ban?
One allows them to become martyrs at the alter of 'free' speech, while..
One allows them to become martyrs at the alter of 'free' speech, while..
.. the other keeps them in liquid oxygen!
Just think about it!
I'll now conclude this thread by leaving this statement made in the Parliament here.
Thank you for your patience!
:Fin:
Just think about it!
I'll now conclude this thread by leaving this statement made in the Parliament here.
Thank you for your patience!
:Fin:
Let me just add this thread about the Hike Messenger here. Read this and weep, fellow tweeple! https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1274571164694638592?s=19
^^
Above thread in my blog https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1361674060988518405?s=19
Above thread in my blog https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/1361674060988518405?s=19
