Latest Unsubstantiated Claim: Twitter Makes You Immoral

from the oh,-please... dept

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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Comments on “Latest Unsubstantiated Claim: Twitter Makes You Immoral”

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29 Comments
RD says:

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.

Crabby (profile) says:

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.

David Lagesse (user link) says:

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

zcat says:

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.

David Lagesse (user link) says:

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?

Tony says:

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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