Most users here at X probably aren't really willing to participate in fraud. They'd rather not contribute to something that only pretends to offer a service, but actually falls well short of it. In fact, any conscientious employees of X, assuming that they exist, probably feel this way even more acutely.
When users sign up for this platform, and especially when they pay for it, they're paying to communicate with other users who want to hear them. That doesn't include "extra reach" beyond those who sign up to be their followers, of course; for that, one pays even more. But it certainly includes those who have already read one's material and asked to be notified when it appears.
Unfortunately, that's not what's happening here at X. Instead, your account can be "throttled". Imagine that "the engagement / account metadata algorithm" has a little throttling routine, and that it can be activated from the keyboard of some X executive or lesser employee. Now imagine that some nameless, faceless little cipher at X, or some agency outside of X but with power over X, decides that the algorithm should alter your metadata and subtract views, followers, and likes in order to limit your influence. One little tweak, and it cuts your reach. (Yes, it's as dishonest as all get-out.)
"But, but, but..." an X apologist might stammer. "Don't you see? It's all in the algorithm! Its AI tells it when somebody is using the wrong words or trying to convey the wrong ideas, and it reacts automatically! Nobody has to use a keyboard - there are no humans involved!"
News Flash: I don't propagate "wrong ideas", and there are certainly humans involved. For example, those who programmed the algorithm, and those who told them how to do it, are involved. They're just too lazy to monitor the situation in real time. (After all, that's the purpose of AI: those who run things, and collect the big money for doing so, don't want to be bothered with actually running things. They'd rather let a little black box do it for them. They only like the fun part.)
"But X doesn't do that!" an apologist might claim. "Elon has made it very clear that he's totally, like, a protector of free speech! Freedom of expression is his middle name!"
I regret to inform everyone that this simply isn't true. I know this because right now, and for a long, long time, X has been doing exactly that to me. It has now taken to subtracting around a hundred followers a day from my account, Elon or no Elon.
"But, but..." grates the apologist. "That's just 'bots'! You see, thousands of bots are faking views and followers for you! X is just doing all they can to protect its users from such misleading shenanigans!"
But that doesn't wash. What one would see if "bots" were responsible is periodic eliminations punctuated by business as usual. Moreover, I've had many followers tell me explicitly that they are never, ever notified of my contributions. So if "bots" are responsible, then they have the power to prevent X itself from properly communicating with its users. There are no "bots" with that capacity.
So you see, X is simply not doing what it claims to be doing, and what its owner claims to believe in. It is boldly throttling paid users, and when they complain about it as I do, responding by jacking up the rate of throttling. It's downright perverse, with an obvious touch of passive-aggressive sadism.
Have a look.
https://t.co/DL6w70V0y4
Yes, yes, I know. "X is a private business with every right to throttle or censor anyone at any time! Elon is an adorable little $$$-godling who can do no wrong!"
I beg to differ. When a platform like this markets itself as a free-speech venue, attracts millions of users on that very pretext, and thus corners the mass social-media market, that's a bad show from start to finish. People like me, who pretty much have to use the largest available channels of communication, are stuck having to put up with it, and we shouldn't have to do that. Social media platforms have an obligation to their users, and throttling perfectly valid messages is clearly not the way to meet it.
I've never met Elon, Nikita Bier, or any of their assistants, mod-munchkins, or flying monkeys. The only legitimate reason I can see for this situation is that X advertisers have threatened to pull their business unless I get throttled. However, that's vanishingly improbable.
So my question is this: why is this happening? And are any of those allowed by X to read this post also having their accounts mechanically manipulated as mine is?
[BTW, I'll block anyone who snidely remarks that my writing style is too dense or that I'd get ten times the views if I just confined myself to one-liners and "memes". I don't care about those who don't like my writing style and/or content - as a matter of fact, I'd like them to go far, far away, as they're worthless for my purposes. I'm talking about the people who signed up to follow my posts knowing very well how I write.]
@pearlythingz Christians love to tell people, “I’m a Christian,” with a smug look on their faces because it makes them feel superior and special—as if their Jewish master Yahweh is going to reward them for being good goys.
@DaBassdrop Having limited visibility is why I don't pay for premium; you have premium and you are still being censored by having your reach slashed to almost nothing.
@JUNIORTRADER77 He probably was because he was caught with a naked young boy in the garden and almost all of his 12 apostles were teenagers except maybe Peter who was in his 20s because he was married.
@DietMntnDewNYC@ElijahSchaffer@CChadChampion Christians, LMAO!
Instead of just being honest with human nature and reality, the lying and hypocrisy of their lives make them the shittiest defective people.
@aksheye@AyTone4th@Hand_some_truth >He is not a patriot. He is a fucking moron hungry for views bothering people minding their own business. He is just nothing more than a parasite. A real doche bag.