current location： Home > H2

Andy Cohen says Twitter was always a cesspool even before Elon

2023-03-19 06:16:50 author：dointy.com
Views:

Andy Cohen says Twitter was always a cesspool even before Elon

Andy Cohen isn’t the first person you’d think to ask about Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. Then again, the real-time drama of an egotistical billionaire starting social media feuds and making impulsive decisions very publicly sounds like fodder for a Real Housewives plot line. 

Andy Cohen says Twitter was always a cesspool even before Elon(图1)

It’s no secret that Cohen loves to stir the pot. He may be host of Watch What Happens Live! on Bravo and executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise, among other successful shows, but he's also an extremely online person with a coveted blue checkmark. That VIP status means Cohen is one of the many who would be impacted by Musk's dizzying changes to verification and subscriptions on Twitter. And lest you forget, Cohen also has his stable of crown jewel Bravolebrities who depend on the platform for continued influence.

SEE ALSO: Twitter staffers have called Elon Musk's 'hardcore' bluff, sparking potential mass exodus

In a way, he’s the perfect person to answer our burning questions about the recent Twitter drama and its impact on OG blue checks and those who would pay to play. On Wednesday, at a travel trends event hosted by Expedia where I learned that Cohen never flies without a hoodie and his La Prairie face cream, I stole a few minutes of his time to get his take on all things Twitter and even his Wordle score. 

Mashable: Alright, first up, we've got to talk about Twitter.

Andy Cohen: OK.

Would you pay for verification? 

No!

Care to expand on that?

Basically, I'm waiting to see how it all plays out. If it becomes a huge problem for me... I don't really know. 

By the way, when [Musk] announced it, I didn't think it was the worst idea. I'm like, OK, well, guess what? These guys are trying to make money. This is something that seems to be important to people. So, OK, they're trying to make money. I mean, it's a free country. You can just choose to pay or not.

But look, then people started impersonating other people. Then you kind of see why it's important to be verified. So I am just waiting to see. When they first announced [it], I said, "No, I won't pay." The second day I was like, "OK, I got this. Maybe I'll pay and write it off if it seems important."

I'm kind of waiting to see how it plays out. 

Yeah, good move.

But Twitter was a cesspool before he bought it. It remains a cesspool. It is a cesspool! And we're all in it, and he didn't make it a cesspool. But you know, here we are.

I think that's the point that's sort of missing from all of this. 

Yeah, Twitter was not a great place three weeks ago. It was nasty. 

Has anyone tried to impersonate you on Twitter? 

Not yet, no.

Can you think of somewhere you would rather spend your $8 a month?

Well, I mean, sure, you know, giving it to the homeless? 

If Twitter gets toxically worse than it already is, what are some other promotional pathways for Bravolebrities?

I think Instagram is great. TikTok's great. You know, Twitter is not the only game in town. Twitter seems to be the place where people get in the most trouble. So it may not be the worst idea for everybody to get off.

If you were to leave Twitter, where would you go?

Well, that's a really good question. Maybe nowhere. I've heard about… what's it called? Mastodon? I don't know.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk shares date for Twitter Blue relaunch, says it has to be 'rock solid'

Would you have Elon on Watch What Happens Live!?

Sure. He's the richest man in the world.

What would you want to ask Elon about?

There's so much to ask him. I would start by asking him about all the questions he's already getting about Twitter and firing people, and if he's going to allow Donald Trump on. I mean, there's a cavalcade of Twitter stuff that could be the whole first act of the show.

OK, final question: What's your Wordle streak?

Right now? It's not great. I got my Wordle in one [try] today. I was very excited! I was eating baked goods and I wrote "baker," and it was "baker" today. So that was very exciting.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Website of this article：https://dointy.com/?m=home&c=View&a=index&aid=65086

Go to Baidu to see more

Comments from netizens

CONTACT US

contact us

CONTACT US

  • contacts：dointy.com

Popular articles

HOT ARTICLE

  • TV cops call for other TV cops to step up and donate

    TV cops call for other TV cops to step up and donate

    You have to either be foolish or actively part of the problem if you fail to recognize at this point that there's a policing problem in the United States.

    (图1)

    You know who isn't a fool? Griffin Newman, star of The Tick and co-host of the Blank Check podcast(Opens in a new tab). He also played a cop on TV in a couple episodes of Blue Bloods, and came to the unfortunate revelation that since we can't necessarily rely on IRL cops to do the right thing during this fraught moment, maybe the fictional police can step up to help instead.

    So he made a tweet. And he accompanied that tweet with proof of a tangible action taken, a donation to the Community Justice Exchange through ActBlue(Opens in a new tab).

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz saw the tweet and passed it along. The actor who plays no-nonsense cop Rosa Diaz on the NBC sitcom followed Newman's lead and did the same thing: an $11,000 donation to the Emergency Release Fund(Opens in a new tab) and another tweet calling on TV cops to step up.

    As of 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning, Newman and Beatriz were the only two actors who have publicly made the pledge using the template laid out(Opens in a new tab) in the original tweet.

    Around 9:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Beatriz' co-star Melissa Fumero tweeted in support of the protests, adding that the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and showrunner Dan Goor had made a $100,000 donation to the National Bail Fund Network and encouraged others to do the same.

    And hey, you don't need to be a current or former TV cop to donate. There are real people out in the world right now who need help that extend beyond concern-tweeting and other forms of performative allyship(Opens in a new tab) on social media. If you're financially able, write the check. Want some ideas? Start here.

    UPDATE: June 3, 2020, 11:45 a.m. AEST This story has been updated to include the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast's donation.

  • Snapchat stops promoting Donald Trumps account in Discover

    Snapchat stops promoting Donald Trumps account in Discover

    UPDATE: June 3, 2020, 2:37 p.m. EDT

    (图1)

    President Trump's team has apparently not taken kindly to Snapchat's actions. According to the New York Times(Opens in a new tab), Trump's 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said(Opens in a new tab) "Snapchat is trying to rig the 2020 election." OK, Brad.

    The social media dominoes are falling for President Donald Trump.

    As protests over the killing of George Floyd and police brutality continue across the country, Trump is doing things likes having protesters teargassed for a photo op and raging against Twitter. Now tech companies are taking action.

    Snapchat says that it won't promote the president's account in the Discover section anymore. Axios(Opens in a new tab) first reported the decision, and Snap confirmed the news to Mashable via email. Snapchat made the decision over the weekend.

    “We are not currently promoting the President’s content on Snapchat’s Discover platform," a Snap spokesperson said. "We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover. Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America.”

    The decision comes after controversy around Trump's tweets that many view as inciting violence against protesters. Twitter affixed labels to two of Trump's recent tweets: one that spread false news about voting by mail, and another that glorified violence, which Twitter blurred out. Meanwhile at Facebook, despite internal protests from employees, Mark Zuckerberg has stuck by the company's decision to allow the content on its platform.

    Snapchat's stand is a bit different. Trump's account will remain on Snap, searchable and available to subscribers, and there's no specific content that it is fact checking, removing, or censoring. The change comes in its Discover tab, a section in the app that Snap employees curate. The company's thinking is that people can say what they want on Snapchat as long as it doesn't violate community guidelines. But users are not entitled to the "free promotion" of Discover, which has always been curated. Snap does not want Discover to be a place that amplifies messages of hate.

    SEE ALSO: How tech leaders can do more for racial justice than just tweet

    Snap CEO Evan Spiegel alluded to the decision in a memo(Opens in a new tab) sent to employees, which was made public by the company.

    As for Snapchat, we simply cannot promote accounts in America that are linked to people who incite racial violence, whether they do so on or off our platform. Our Discover content platform is a curated platform, where we decide what we promote. We have spoken time and again about working hard to make a positive impact, and we will walk the talk with the content we promote on Snapchat. We may continue to allow divisive people to maintain an account on Snapchat, as long as the content that is published on Snapchat is consistent with our community guidelines, but we will not promote that account or content in any way.... we will make it clear with our actions that there is no grey area when it comes to racism, violence, and injustice – and we will not promote it, nor those who support it, on our platform.

    Trump lashed out at Twitter's actions by signing an executive order meant to make it easier to sue social media companies for the content posted by their users.

    There's no word from the president yet on Snap's actions. But if the situation plays out like the Alex Jones bans, more social media companies could be taking away Trump's megaphones for hate.

  • Mayor of D.C. has city workers painting Black Lives Matter on street to White House

    Mayor of D.C. has city workers painting Black Lives Matter on street to White House

    Washington, D.C. has taken some very visible action to support the Black Lives Matter protests around the country.

    (图1)

    On Friday morning, a group of people were seen painting the words "Black Lives Matter" in large yellow letters down two blocks of 16th Street, a two-lane road which leads to the White House.

    The painters were commissioned by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser(Opens in a new tab), per CNN, and when New York Times writer Emily Badger happened upon the city workers on Friday morning, they casually said they were "just paintin' the streets."

    Badger noted that the 16 eye-catching letters, which span the full width of the street, will "be a real middle finger to any federal forces flying overhead."

    If you're curious as to what the statement looks like from above, check out this video that Mayor Bowser shared on Twitter alongside the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. The video was taken from a roof and music can be heard playing in the background.

    Badger also added that the yellow paint is not temporary by any means — it appears to be the same paint city officials use to stripe road lanes.

    "Black Lives Matter" paint on 16th street near the White House. Credit: DANIEL SLIM / AFP via Getty Images

    The lettering comes as protests continue to spread throughout the city and hundreds of people gather each day outside the White House gates to condemn racism, police brutality, and the death of George Floyd — a black man who died on May 25, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. 

    After protests outside the White House escalated last Friday night, the Secret Service reportedly ushered Trump — along with Melania and their son Barron — to the underground presidential bunker, where they were said to have remained for nearly an hour(Opens in a new tab).

    On Friday morning, Mayor Bowser shared additional tweets that related to the Black Lives Matter paint. The first was a letter she wrote requesting that President Trump "withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence" from the city.

    And the second was a video that showed a "Black Lives Matter" street sign being added to a lamp post in the city. "The section of 16th street in front of the White House is now officially 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,'" Bowser wrote in her tweet.

    Mashable has reached out to the D.C. Mayor's office for comment and will update this article if we receive a reply.

    UPDATE: June 5, 2020, 10:55 a.m. EDT Updated to include a tweet from D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser.

    UPDATE: June 5, 2020, 12:13 p.m. EDT Updated to include two additional tweets from Mayor Bowser.

    Related Video: How to donate to support the Black Lives Matter movement

  • In TikTok protest, witches cast spells to hex cops

    In TikTok protest, witches cast spells to hex cops

    Under the light of this week's full moon, a group of witches of TikTok — or WitchTok, if you will — are casting protection spells for protestors and hexes for cops.

    (图1)

    With the U.S. a week into protests against police brutality after the killing of George Floyd, a surprising array of subcultures have stepped up to help. K-pop stans flooded police reporting platforms with fancams so informants couldn't snitch on protestors. Even Mennonites showed up(Opens in a new tab) to protest in Minneapolis. And now covens are redirecting their power to protestors.

    Organizing under the #witchesforblm hashtag, practicing witches are teaching each other how to cast simple spells, draw sigils, and manifest intentions.

    The movement seems to have started with a comment from TikTok user beckydoeslife. This was in response to a TikTok by venxm.exe, in which the practicing witch filmed herself casting a protection spell for protestors rallying against police brutality.

    In just five days, the tag #witchesforblm garnered a collective 10 million views on the app.

    The tag started when a TikTok user suggested using #witchesforblm to organize. Credit: tiktok / venxm.exe
    The tag started when a TikTok user suggested using #witchesforblm to organize. Credit: tiktok / venxm.exe

    WitchTok users aim to protect protestors and hex law enforcement, who have been escalating violence against peaceful protestors nationwide all week.

    In some videos, like this one from rue.the.day, users act out what they predict will happen to cops after WitchTok casts its spells.

    TikTok users are acting out what'll happen to cops after they cast their spells. Credit: tiktok / rue.the.day

    In a video for beginners, jes.tkidding suggests a simple hex: write down the names of police officers and use a black candle to burn that paper, and then let the candle burn all the way through. In a video for more experienced practitioners, sorciereverte demonstrates how to write protection sigils that spell out "PROTESTORS ARE PROTECTED FROM POLICE BRUTALITY" and "BLACK LIVES MATTER TODAY AND ALWAYS."

    A TikTok user demonstrates simple spells beginner witches can cast. Credit: tiktok / jes.tkidding
    A TikTok user demonstrates writing a sigil that says, "PROTESTORS ARE PROTECTED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY." Credit: tiktok / sorciereverte

    Of course, casting spells probably isn't enough to really make change to a historically racist and unjust system. So in addition to recommending meditating, burning candles, and making "moon water," TikTok user earthytiana suggests(Opens in a new tab) using the power of the full moon to sign petitions, donate to the Black Lives Matter movement, and attend protests.

    Happy full moon, witches.

  • Enjoy watching as Brits tear down a slavers statue and dump it in the river

    Enjoy watching as Brits tear down a slavers statue and dump it in the river

    If you happen to be looking for the Edward Colston statue in Bristol, England, try finding it at its new location: in the harbor, at the bottom of the river.

    (图1)

    If you’re not sure exactly where, you can try checking Google Maps. It’s been updated with the statue’s new underwater location. (It may be changed back when you go to look, though; keep reading.)

    An estimated 10,000 people showed up in Bristol, England on Sunday for a Black Lives Matter protest in solidarity with the hundreds of cities across the United States which have been protesting the police killing of George Floyd.

    During the protest, some attendees tied a rope around the memorial of Edward Colston in Bristol, where the bronze statue has stood since 1895. Colston was a 17th century English slave trader and former member of Parliament. He was responsible for transporting more than 100,000 slaves from West Africa.

    Some were quick to point out how Colston was a well-known philanthropist, supporting schools, hospitals and various other charities. A number of city landmarks and establishments bear his name. However, what needs to be mentioned along with these charitable efforts is how he funded all this with money he made from the slave trade.

    The demonstrators proceeded to topple the statue. One protester kneeled down on its neck after it fell, in a nod to Floyd, who was killed when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes while three other officers both looked on and, in two cases, helped.

    Protesters then dragged the statue to the harbor and pushed it over a guardrail, where it fell into the Avon River, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

    Shortly after, as word spread, many users on social media platforms like Twitter had noticed that a Google Maps search was now showing the statue’s new location: at the bottom of the river. The statue was later updated with additional info, obviously crowdsourced by users, like how the memorial was “permanently closed.”

    I checked Google Maps to confirm. However, at the time that I looked, the updated location of the statue had reverted back to its original spot... where the statue is no longer located.

    Local law enforcement have condemned the toppling of the statue. An investigation has been opened to find out who was responsible for taking it down.

    The Colston statue has been a point of contention in the Bristol community since well before the current police brutality protests. In 2018, the Lord Mayor of Bristol removed(Opens in a new tab) a portrait of the slave trader that hung in city hall. A petition to remove(Opens in a new tab) the statue already existed, garnering 11,000 signatures.

    Protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd continue to spread across the United States and around the world.

  • 14 Harry Potter things to love that have nothing to do with J.K. Rowling

    14 Harry Potter things to love that have nothing to do with J.K. Rowling

    On Saturday, J.K. Rowling posted her latest string of transphobic tweets, in which she suggested that only women can menstruate and that gender inclusivity erases the female experience. As an ardent Harry Potter fan myself, with a network of friends in the community, I saw my Twitter timeline fill up with exactly one sentiment in response to these tweets:

    (图1)

    Fuck that.

    This isn't the first time Rowling has been transphobic; previous likes and tweets have followed the line of thought demonstrated on Saturday. I personally expressed my disappointment in her December 2019 tweets, but wrote them off. I assumed she was oblivious and disconnected from the right resources due to shoddy PR, her own ignorance, and that bubble away from reality that most of the ultra-rich and famous seem to occupy.

    But again, fuck that.

    Saturday's tweets are further evidence of Rowling's ignorance, but there can be no doubt now that it is willful. Even Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, couldn't remain silent and issued a statement in solidarity with the queer and trans community(Opens in a new tab).

    For a generation that grew up on the Harry Potter values of standing up to power and bigotry, the irony is not lost and the heartbreak is real. It's been a long time coming for some but totally new for others who might not be able to stop loving Potter as easily as they turned on its creator.

    Harry Potter has been around long enough that its influence spreads far beyond a certain writer. Songs have been written, merch designed, organizations launched, and discussions furthered far beyonds the limits of what Rowling could ever have imagined. Those of us who read Harry Potter as children are writers, artists, and activists now, equipped to enjoy the wizarding world without her.

    So now that you've accepted the Death of the Author(Opens in a new tab), here are 14 places to direct your Harry Potter love that have nothing to do with You-Know-Who.

    Note: The author (I mean myself now) knows individuals involved with several items on this list.

    1. The Harry Potter Alliance(Opens in a new tab)

    Launched in 2005, the HPA is a social justice organization that works toward gender equity, LGTBQIA+ equality, racial justice, climate change activism, education, and more. It has partnered with groups like the American Library Association, ACLU, and Hank and John Green's DFTBA. In 2010, the HPA raised enough money through fan campaigns to send five airplanes of medical supplies to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti(Opens in a new tab). They have a handy guide on how to advocate for trans people right here(Opens in a new tab).

    2. Black Girls Create(Opens in a new tab)

    This multifandom resource for black creators encourages fans to recognize that you can love something while still being highly critical of it. They raised $16,000 in a week for organizations helping Black Lives Matter through a Hogwarts house-themed points competition. Through podcasts(Opens in a new tab) like #WizardTeam(Opens in a new tab) and the Doctor Who-themed TARBIS(Opens in a new tab) (Who Watch: Time and Relative Blackness in Space), the BGC community promotes intersectional representation, especially for black women.

    3. Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis(Opens in a new tab)

    This breezy web series what would have happened if 25-year-old Hermione Granger didn't marry Ron and become a cop, but questioned it all and hightailed to California to hang out with former classmate Parvati Patil. Created by Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael and starring Ashley Romans, the series imagines how wizardry looks for millennial adults and how the magical and muggle worlds collide. It's even brave enough to suggest Hermione go to therapy, something that would certainly have helped all the adults in Cursed Child. And speaking of that nonsense...

    4. StarKid(Opens in a new tab)

    Filmed in a 100-seat basement theater at the University of Michigan, A Very Potter Musical became an early viral sensation in 2009. It expertly pokes fun at its source material and expands upon the canon, as with Harry's obvious desire to be the center of attention or Draco's inability to stand still. The cast and characters are more diverse in race and sexuality than any Harry Potter content ever distributed by Warner Bros. or Universal, a statistic that will probably hold up for a very long time.

    AVPM spawned a sequel ("There is literally no way forward from this point") and a threequel, but its creators have created over a dozen non-Potter productions since then, including Holy Musical, [email protected]!, Ani: A Parody, and originals like Firebringer and Black Friday.

    5. The Gayly Prophet(Opens in a new tab)

    Two Harry Potter fans (Jessie Blount and Lark Malakai Grey) host this weekly podcast that examines the books through a queer feminist lens. They were quick to note after Rowling's comments that this person was being openly transphobic during an uprising in a pandemic and that there is truly no weirder or worse flex.

    6. Sorted(Opens in a new tab)

    Credit: simon & schuster

    Jackson Bird(Opens in a new tab)'s 2019 memoir about coming out as trans is inextricably linked to his experiences in the Harry Potter fandom. Bird's writing is thorough and informative yet never overwhelming. He takes you on his journey through childhood and adolescence, weaving in the boy wizard's influence and the community that ultimately helped him accept who he was and offered support when he declared it. The title refers to the Sorting Hat, but especially to Dumbledore's musing in Deathly Hallows that "I sometimes think we sort too soon." Once again, the fans understand Rowling's message more than it seems she ever could.

    7. Man Up Apparel(Opens in a new tab)

    View this post on Instagram
    (opens in a new tab) (Opens in a new tab)

    This clothing brand started as a part-time source of cheer apparel and now provides some of the swaggiest HP clothing Warner Bros. could only dream of. The house face hoodies give mascots as much a chance to shine as colors, and the varsity jackets will be the envy of every former high school athlete you meet. Best of all for this Ravenclaw: The Ravenclaw colors of blue and bronze and the house eagle are resplendent, putting that hideous blue-gray raven gear from the movies to shame.

    8. Mark Reads Harry Potter(Opens in a new tab)

    Writer Mark Oshiro(Opens in a new tab) has made a career of watching and reading things(Opens in a new tab) (and is now an author(Opens in a new tab) too) because their voice is so utterly entertaining. They started Harry Potter for the first time in 2010(Opens in a new tab) with little to no prior exposure (the podcast Potterless(Opens in a new tab) started a similar journey in recent years) and there is nothing quite like experiencing the joy of a grown adult becoming obsessed with Rubeus Hagrid for the first time.

    9. Carry On(Opens in a new tab)

    Credit: St. Martin's Griffin

    Rainbow Rowell's YA fantasy novel is a spinoff of her own Fangirl, but the characters are undeniably influenced by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy as they occupy a slightly different magical realm. Simon Snow is his world's Chosen One, guided by "the Mage" and anointed by a prophecy — and as if that's not enough, he finds it harder and harder each day to deny the attraction he feels to his so-called enemy Basilton (a.k.a. Baz). Carry On and sequel Wayward Son (yup) are the Drarry fic you crave on ink and paper, and a beautiful example of how joyous and easy it is to write a queer magical story.

    10. Puffs(Opens in a new tab)

    The now-closed off-Broadway play about "a certain school of magic and magic" tells the story we all know through the eyes of Hufflepuff students — sometimes confused, often endangered, and always nice even in the face of certain danger brought upon them by the Boy Who Lived. It may not be running anymore, but the show lives on digitally(Opens in a new tab).

    11. Vegard(Opens in a new tab)

    This European YouTuber happily declares "Harry Potter (minus JKR)" in their Twitter bio(Opens in a new tab), and has a wonderful time exploring the books, movies, spells, and more in video form regardless. Vegard proves there is no end to answers to the question of how one can manifest one's Harry Potter love, whether it's explaining the story drunk, editing oneself into scenes, talking about it to Siri, and so much more.

    12. Wizard rock

    The musical genre launched in the early 2000s now boasts hundreds of musicians and bands who sing about the series, including to challenge its heteronormativity or ridiculousness wherever they can. The wizard rock community has long been a haven for queer fans, and the growing roster of artists(Opens in a new tab) means more diverse talent joining its ranks every day.

    13. The Wizard Tailor(Opens in a new tab)

    @thewizardtailor(Opens in a new tab)

    Get in the car, looser, we’re going to Beauxbatons 🦋 ##tiktokprom(Opens in a new tab)##harrypotter(Opens in a new tab)##passthebrushchallenge(Opens in a new tab)##passthebrush(Opens in a new tab)##beauxbatons(Opens in a new tab)##french(Opens in a new tab)##hp(Opens in a new tab)##hpcosplay(Opens in a new tab)##hpcos(Opens in a new tab)

    ♬ Theme from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (Potter Waltz) - Movie Sounds Unlimited(Opens in a new tab)

    This TikTok creator and cosplayer known as Michael is doing the ridiculous and yet very important work of recreating popular TikToks with a Harry Potter spin(Opens in a new tab). Apologies in advance to all your friends for the slew of links you're about to send them.

    14. Binge Mode: Harry Potter(Opens in a new tab)

    Though it does occasionally praise the author, The Ringer's Binge Mode podcast hosted by Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion provides exceptional analysis and raucous commentary as they reread the Harry Potter books. No amount of Fantastic Beasts movies (and we hope there are no more) could conceive of anything as brilliant as "McGalleon," a headcanon about McGonagall's aggressive sports betting and how it clouds her objectivity as a teacher. You'll learn to turn down the volume when Jason yells, and you'll love it.

  • Its OK to post on social media even though you havent replied to texts

    Its OK to post on social media even though you havent replied to texts

    I don't know who needs to hear this, but it's perfectly OK for someone to post on social media even though they haven't replied to your text messages yet.

    (图1)

    Sure, it's polite and respectful to respond to messages and answer questions as soon as possible, but taking a few hours — or even days — to do so doesn't always mean someone is actively trying to be rude or disrespectful toward you.

    It's easy to get annoyed with people who take a while to respond to messages — especially if you see them tweeting, sharing articles to Facebook, or posting Instagram stories in the meantime. Trust me, I get it.

    I used to make every effort to reply to texts within seconds of receiving them, so I often got frustrated when others took a while to respond to me. When people would leave my texts unanswered and I'd see them post on social media, I'd admittedly wonder, "What the hell?" But then, something changed.

    I grew increasingly overwhelmed with work, life, and all the chaos going on in the world, and my anxiety made it impossible to text anyone back. I started having to wait until it subsided to reply to people, and that's when I realized delayed responses aren't always what they seem.

    SEE ALSO: 13 mental health resources for black people trying to cope right now

    Sending a text seems like one of the simplest tasks in the world. You tap your phone screen to form words and smash the send button, right? Most of the time I do consider texting to be an extremely low-energy task, but much like in-person conversations, communicating digitally sometimes requires real effort, vulnerability, and thoughtfulness. That's not always easy to give.

    Texting and using social media require different levels of effort

    At some point over the past few years, I began staring at light gray iMessage bubbles that read things like, "How are you?" or "How was your week?" in absolute terror. My thumbs became paralyzed at the sight of daunting questions that required deep levels of introspection or explanation on my part, so I'd put off responding until I felt up to the challenge.

    I occasionally let my text messages pile up unanswered, but I kept living my life and posting to social media. It seemed like a good system, until one of my friends called me out.

    "Hi, remember me???" a friend replied to my Instagram story one Saturday. She had texted me the day before, and I hadn't forgotten to respond. I'd had a truly horrible week and wanted to take the weekend to recover. I had every intention of replying to her non-urgent text on Monday, but because she saw me using Instagram, she felt I should have texted her back already.

    Unless the person you message has read receipts turned on, you likely won't be able to tell when, or if, they've had a chance to read your texts. If you picture someone being too busy to stop and look at their phones — as I'm sure my friend was doing with me — it's easy to rationalize delayed responses. But if a person you've messaged posts to social media before replying to you, their silence in DMs is often taken as a slap in the face.

    The common thought process here is that if someone has the time to casually be online, then they must have time to reply to your text. If they're on social media, they're clearly using technology, so why can't they take a few extra minutes to answer you?

    On the surface, this logic makes sense. But it's not always as simple as someone failing to carve out time. People might be posting to social media during a quick break from work, they could be using social media to distract themselves from daily dread, or they might quickly post something in the presence of other people and not have the time to devote to texting. There's also the chance that they just might have forgotten to reply.

    When my friend called me out for not answering her, I replied honestly. I explained that for me, posting on social media requires much less effort than engaging in a personal conversation. I told her I was taking the weekend to recharge my social batteries, and she was super understanding. We ended up having a really productive conversation about how texting isn't always as easy as it sounds.

    Sometimes self-care means not texting back right away

    Depending on the conversation topic and where you're at in life mentally/emotionally, chatting with people can be challenging.

    Reminding myself that texts like, "How are you?" can demand significantly more detailed responses than than texts like, "Have you watched Better Call Saul yet?" helps me understand and justify delayed responses. And acknowledging that mindlessly scrolling through Twitter or posting photos of food can be easier than talking about your life helped me accept that it's perfectly fine to use social media in between receiving and answering texts.

    How have I been? What a stacked question. Credit: screenshot / nicole gallucci

    Sometimes self-care means not texting back right away, and that became extraordinarily clear to me this year amid the coronavirus pandemic and George Floyd protests.

    When my mind was racing to grapple with all the new coronavirus social distancing guidelines, medical research, and death tolls, I had trouble replying to texts in a timely manner. I did, however, find some semblance of calm on Instagram, and I continued sharing informative updates on Twitter.

    And after George Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes, I barely texted anyone for days. I took time to watch protests spread around the world; to read books and articles, and to watch films to further educate myself on the history of racism and police brutality. I made an effort to donate to organizations, sign petitions, and support black-owned businesses.

    Though I didn't feel ready to reply to non-urgent texts for a full week, I felt it was imperative that I continue to use my social media platforms to help raise awareness on the issues at hand and share invaluable resources.

    Exceptions to the rule

    If you're not in the right mindset to reply to text messages immediately, you shouldn't. Prioritizing your mental health is important. But you should also choose which texts to leave hanging on a case-by-case basis.

    Always keep a message's content and urgency in mind. If someone's asking a question that requires an immediate response, do your best to respond in a timely fashion. And if someone needs help, you obviously shouldn't ignore them.

    Wait a bit, but don't ghost people forever. Credit: vicky leta / mashable

    If you wait to text back, be sure to acknowledge and apologize for the delay when you do get around to it. You can even be upfront with people and let them know upon receiving their message that you need a day or two to get back to them — that way you can relax without the unanswered text lingering in the back of your mind. Be honest with people if you're too overwhelmed to chat, but please avoid using that viral text reply template.

    And remember, there's definitely a difference between waiting until you feel emotionally ready to text someone back and straight-up ghosting them. Don't ghost people, that's rude as hell.

    Be kind to yourself and others

    Ultimately, it's crucial to keep in mind that you never know exactly what someone is going through when they receive your text messages.

    Cut yourself, and others, some slack, and try not to read too much into text delays — even if you see people posting on social media before they've replied. (If the wait really bothers you, you can always confront them about it. And you might end up having an eye-opening talk like I did with my friend.)

    As someone who's avoided replying to family members and friends I absolutely adore because of sheer emotional exhaustion, I can tell you that delays aren't always ill-intentioned. Sometimes people are just overwhelmed.

  • Now you can identify plants and pooches right in Snapchat

    Now you can identify plants and pooches right in Snapchat

    Have you ever seen a dog so adorable or a plant so lush out in the wild that you had to know what it was right then and there?

    (图1)

    Snap announced new partnerships on Thursday with the apps Dog Scanner(Opens in a new tab) and PlantSnap(Opens in a new tab) that will allow Snapchat users to do just that. Snapchatters can identify dogs or plants they encounter in the real world by scanning them right in Snapchat.

    When you press and hold on the camera screen in Snapchat, lenses that are relevant to what the camera is pointing at are unlocked. For example, if I point and hold the camera on my dog right now, lenses that put sunglasses or heart eyes specifically formatted for the shape face of a dog appear.

    Now, if you point the camera at a particularly Good Boy you see, you can access a lens that tells you what breed the dog is, using the data and A.I. of Dog Scanner, which recognizes nearly 400 dog breeds (my dog would get 100 percent purebred mutt). And if you focus your lens on a tree, bush or bud that catches your eye, you'll be able to identify 90 percent of known plants and trees with the PlantSnap integration.

    Gotta snap that plant!!! Credit: snap

    Snap announced the new features at the Snap Partner Summit, which it held virtually Thursday.

    The ability to identify two of earth's best things — dogs and plants — through your smartphone, of course already exists; Dog Scanner and PlantSnap are standalone apps. But it's helpful that the capability comes within Snapchat itself if you're either someone who uses the app frequently already, or doesn't want to have to download a new app for each object you want your smartphone to help identify.

    Plus, more categories are coming soon. An upcoming integration with the food and cosmetics scanning app Yuka(Opens in a new tab) will let Snapchatters unlock nutrition facts when they point and hold the camera at a food item. Snap already lets you point and hold to identify a song through Shazam, solve math problems with Photomath, and identify (and shop for) products sold on Amazon.

    The dog and plant integrations are the sort of typically playful and fun feature that Snapchat is known for. However, the lens product also holds opportunity for further monetization for the company, as Snap CEO Evan Spiegel pointed out during a Q&A with reporters. For example, Snap unveiled a partnership with Louis Vuitton that allows users to point and hold on the monogram logo, which then takes users to content about their new collection. It's easy to see how — similar to the Amazon integration — this could lead to not just brand content and awareness, but shopping.

    Snap made some other announcements around lenses for both developers and users Thursday. It's making more lens development templates available, such as ways to interact with — wait for it — feet (this could enable experiences like virtually trying on shoes).

    On the user side, pointing and holding in a neighborhood will now unlock "local lenses," which lets users actually decorate buildings and other landmarks in AR. It's kind of like a shared street art experience, in which users build on each other's creations, that anyone in the physical space can access.

    Snapchat's innovation in AR has helped the company keep its creative edge, even as companies like Facebook continually try to copy it. The biggest trouble with Snapchat's AR products is keeping track of all the things the app can do in a sometimes difficult to navigate lens ecosystem. But with a new voice search feature and a souped up Activity Bar, also announced Thursday, Snap's working on that, too.

  • Fox News used doctored images to, uh, report on Seattle protests

    Fox News used doctored images to, uh, report on Seattle protests

    A protest against the police killing of George Floyd and police brutality in Seattle has been mostly characterized by drum circles, speakers(Opens in a new tab) and movie screenings. But if you only tuned into Fox News for coverage of these demonstrations, you might think it was full of burning buildings and armed guards.

    (图1)

    On Friday, Fox News published several digitally altered images of the demonstrations on its website, which the Seattle Times caught(Opens in a new tab). It's not clear who is responsible for tweaking the images.

    One photo, shown on Fox's homepage on Friday, placed a man with a rifle standing in front of a sign that reads "You are now entering Free Cap Hill." The street scene and the man who appears in it come from two different photos, taken more than a week apart.

    The sign in that photo refers to the newly-dubbed Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, a stretch of six blocks set up by protesters in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood to create "a police-free" independent zone, The Guardian reported(Opens in a new tab). It was established after the Seattle police abandoned a precinct in the neighborhood(Opens in a new tab) and converted the area into a festival-like space.

    The conservative outlet also published a photo of a person running past a fiery building and car to accompany stories on the Seattle protest. The headline read "CRAZY TOWN." The photo is actually from St. Paul, Minn. and was taken on May 30, according to the Seattle Times.

    After the Times reached out to Fox News about the photos, they were removed. But a Fox News spokeswoman also said the following, "We have replaced our photo illustration with the clearly delineated images of a gunman and a shattered storefront, both of which were taken this week in Seattle’s autonomous zone.”

    The Times pushed back on this statement writing in its article that "the gunman photo was taken June 10, while storefront images it was melded with were datelined May 30 by Getty Images."

    Though, as the Times reports, the demonstration has seen armed protesters it is nothing like the scene Fox attempted to purport with its misleading use of images.

    As a photojournalism ethics educator told the Times, "I think it’s disgraceful propaganda and terribly misrepresentative of documentary journalism in times like this, when truth-telling and accountability is so important,” said Kenny Irby. “There is no attribution. There is no acknowledgment of the montage, and it’s terribly misleading.”

    On Saturday, Fox News appended an editor's note to the stories featuring altered images expressing regret for "these errors."

    A FoxNews.com home page photo collage which originally accompanied this story included multiple scenes from Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” and of wreckage following recent riots. The collage did not clearly delineate between these images, and has since been replaced. In addition, a recent slideshow depicting scenes from Seattle mistakenly included a picture from St. Paul, Minnesota. Fox News regrets these errors.

    UPDATE: June 13, 2020, 4:06 p.m. EDT Added the editor's note that's been appended to stories on the Fox News website featuring the misleading images.

  • In honor of Trumps birthday, people tweet praise for Obama

    In honor of Trumps birthday, people tweet praise for Obama

    Donald Trump turned 74 on Sunday. So, naturally, people celebrated the occasion by tweeting about the person who perhaps gets under his skin the most: Barack Obama. (Sunday was also Flag Day, but we feel like that wasn't the impetus here.)

    (图1)

    The former president trended on the platform(Opens in a new tab) for much of the day, frequently under hashtags like #BarackObamaDay, #ObamaDayUSA, and #ObamaDayJune14th. Users tweeted corny praise for the former president alongside statements about Trump's incompetence. Some were oblique: "Smart intelligence leadership. I miss that every day," one person wrote. Others were more pointed: "Best president in my lifetime. Right @realdonaldtrump? You're the worst," wrote another(Opens in a new tab).

    Still others made references to Saturday's ramp fiasco, when Trump stepped gingerly down a ramp after his West Point graduation speech, got made fun of, then lied about it being slippery in a later tweet. One user, for example, tweeted a photo(Opens in a new tab) of Obama walking down a "slippery wet sidewalk."

    SEE ALSO: Michelle Obama to 2020 graduates: 'Finish the work the generations before you have started'

    While not explicitly related to Obama, #AllBirthdaysMatter — a troll-y reference to the dismissive slogan "All lives matter,"(Opens in a new tab) which is often employed in attempts to discredit the Black Lives Matter movement — also trended briefly above Trump's birthday. Of course, the K-pop fans participated.

    Like most Resistance Twitter(Opens in a new tab) trends, the tweets skewed largely corny, were very reductive, and suffered from an overuse of hashtags. But Trump also takes the bait on this kind of thing all the time, so perhaps it genuinely bothered him. In any event, we're sure the Krassenstein brothers(Opens in a new tab) would be proud.

Random articles

NEW ARTICLE

  • In January, avoiding body talk can feel impossible. Heres how to cope.

    In January, avoiding body talk can feel impossible. Heres how to cope.

    When you sign on to Instagram in January, you're signing up for a scroll sesh of thinking about your body. 

    (图1)

    The topic is everywhere. For me, a typical view of Instagram stories early in the year goes like this. 

    We start with a post from a friend on vacation, then swipe to an ad from exercise studio Tracy Anderson Method featuring a thin, ripped woman in a bikini. Next up is an ad from diet company Noom offering to teach me behavioral tricks to change my relationship with food. Then, a fitness trainer friend I follow talks to the camera and reminds me to be kind to my body, followed by a post from Jameela Jamil with some screenshotted text about the toxicity of the diet industry. Hey, have you heard of Colon Broom? Its Instagram ad is offering a deal on detoxes.

    On and on it goes. These messages aren't limited to Instagram, either. Noom ads follow me to YouTube, cleanse programs show up in my inbox, fitness tracker or home gym product roundups get pride of place on my favorite websites, and screenshots of it all, paired with outraged captions, collect likes and retweets on Twitter. 

    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram / Tracy Anderson Method
    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram / Tracy Anderson Method

    Cue the whiplash. Should I embrace my physique, or try to change it? And while offers to "lose weight" are cleverly disguised(Opens in a new tab) these days with language like "get healthy," being a woman on the internet in January means you're thinking about ways to change your body or your relationship with your body, whether you want to or not.

    While I see a lot of body-related posts because I engage with them — part of my job is to investigate and think about the internet's effect on our physical and mental health — I am most certainly not alone.

    "The diet industry is a $70+ billion industry," Chelsea Kronengold, the National Eating Disorders Association's director of communications, said over email. "Particularly throughout the month of January, diets, detoxes, weight-loss and exercise programs capitalize on the all-too-common New Year’s resolution to lose weight. These ads are intended to make us feel bad about ourselves so we buy their diet products and exercise services."

    And is it just me, or have some of the claims, strategies, and products of these companies gotten more high tech and extreme? There are promises of pills and powders backed by "scientific formulas" meant to "fire up" my metabolism. Some companies, like Zoe, want me to send in a stool sample to analyze my gut microbiome, while others like Everlywell require some simple DNA to give me "personalized insight" into the way my body digests food. Check your thyroid! Freeze your fat! Melt away those saddlebags with this vibrating gun!

    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram / Vibroscuplt
    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram / Noom

    Even if you haven't shown an interest in exercise or weight loss specifically by following, liking, or sharing that content, your demographics or other interests might put you in a diet ad's sights. Dr. Ysabel Gerrard, a social media researcher at the University of Sheffield, gives the example that if you follow cosmetics brands, that could be a clue to recommendation algorithms that you're interested in your appearance. 

    It's enough to make me want to log off entirely. Alas, in January, we're back to work, so for Online people like me, that's not an option. The effect has been a vague unease in the back of my mind all month about whether I should be dieting or exercising more. It feels like I've spent more time in front of the mirror this month, moving around my flesh with my hands or in my mind.

    At the same time, the potentially well-meaning posts encouraging general health and body acceptance sometimes make me feel bad about myself for not always loving my body. Is the disappointment I feel when a dress from a decade ago no longer fits so well Bad because it means I'm not loving myself enough? 

    "On the surface level, it’s a good thing that our society is embracing the body positive movement and messaging," Kronengold said. "However, influencers, as well as diet and fitness companies, often use buzzwords like 'body positivity' and related messaging to trick consumers into thinking they’re promoting 'wellness,' despite the premise of their business model revolving around dieting and weight loss."

    All together, it's exhausting and it's constant. And this deluge could have effects beyond making a person's online experience slightly stressful. These ads can be triggering for people who have eating disorders, according to Gerard.

    In 2019, Instagram prohibited brands from advertising diet and cosmetic surgery to minors. It's also banned ads that make "miraculous claims" about diets, though the ban is not a proactive system and requires users to report ads to get them removed. Though this was a positive step, lots of harmful diet content still gets through. In one case, the Guardian(Opens in a new tab) found that Instagram was suggesting search terms like "appetite suppressant" to people with eating disorders. Even amid months of scandal about the effect Instagram has on young girls' mental health, the platform is still rife with diet content — even if it's sometimes masked as promoting wellness or health.

    "Not being able to opt out of receiving weight loss ads on Instagram, is, in my view, harmful," Gerrard said. "People need significantly more control over what kinds of advertisements they are and are not able to receive across lots of different social media platforms, not just Instagram."

    Gerrard recalls that after Facebook made that change to its diet content policies for minors, a friend messaged her asking "but why do I still have to see them?" The comment has stuck with her.

    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram
    Credit: Screenshot: Instagram / Colon Broom

    There are things you can do to minimize the presence of these ads or even organic posts: You can unfollow hashtags or influencers who get insufferable in January. You can hide a triggering ad, and it will send recommendation algorithms the message that you're not as interested in this topic. For a story or a post, just click the three dots in the upper right hand corner, and you'll see an option to "hide ad."

    Gerrard also recommends having multiple accounts that follow different topics, so you can steer clear of more aesthetically-inclined bubbles during difficult times. But at the same time, she notes that these strategies are "absolutely not a foolproof method and the burden of responsibility shouldn’t be entirely placed on social media users." 

    At this time of year, it's pretty impossible to avoid diet content if you need to keep up with the news or want to stay in touch with your friends. So the best way you can serve yourself is staying in tune with your feelings, and, as Kronengold put it, "remind[ing] yourself that you are more than your appearance, the number on the scale, the size of your waist, or the amount of views and followers you have on social media."

    This is, of course, easier said than done. On one Friday night this month, I felt sluggish, and just sad. I mindlessly opened Instagram where I saw a Reel(Opens in a new tab) from my friend, the fitness trainer. She talked straight to the camera dressed in a sports bra with her tummy exposed. She said: "Just a loving reminder that if self love feels really hard right now, if loving your body feels like a really hard thing to do right now, practice self respect. Your body still deserves respect for everything that it does for you. For waking up, for breathing, for pumping your heart, for being the lens in which you see the world, it does so much for you."

    It was exactly the reminder I needed in that moment to be grateful rather than critical. And it bolstered me, knowing that that feeling came from inside. Not an app, a powder, or exercise method. Just me.

    Featured Video For You
    6 podcasts about mental health you should be listening to

  • Americas dad Tom Hanks is very disappointed in you for not wearing a face mask in public

    Americas dad Tom Hanks is very disappointed in you for not wearing a face mask in public

    If you're thinking of breaking social distancing rules and refusing to wear a face mask in public spaces, know this: Tom Hanks is very disappointed in you.

    (图1)

    The actor, who was one of the first celebrities to be diagnosed with coronavirus back in March — and who has since fully recovered — made his views clear at a recent press junket, per (Opens in a new tab)People(Opens in a new tab).

    "There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands," Hanks reportedly said.

    "Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things — I just think shame on you."

    Hanks went on to drive the point home with a direct, bleeped-out address.

    "Don’t be a p****, get on with it, do your part," he said. "It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians.

    "My Lord, it’s common sense."

    SEE ALSO: Face masks for superhero lovers, 'Tiger King' fans, kids, and everyone else

    Coronavirus cases have now passed 2.6 million(Opens in a new tab) in the U.S., with over 127,000 deaths. The CDC recommends(Opens in a new tab) people wear face masks in public settings to prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told us all back in April, wearing a mask is not about you.

    Hanks is not the only celebrity imploring people to wear face masks in public, with the likes of Reese Witherspoon(Opens in a new tab), Jennifer Aniston(Opens in a new tab), and Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy posting on social media about the importance of the act. "Imagine seeing it not as an infringement on your freedom, but rather the simplest, easiest act of kindness that you can do in a day," said Levy. "Not just for yourself, but for other people who might have autoimmune issues, people who, if they were to contract COVID with those issues might have some devastating repercussions."

    You can make a mask in around 45 seconds or buy one online, so it shouldn't be hard to help quell the spread of the virus, whether you have symptoms or not.

    Lookin' at you, "Karens" and "Kens."

  • How to get verified on Pornhub

    How to get verified on Pornhub

    Last year, explicit megasite Pornhub deleted all unverified videos, shocking sex workers and the internet at large. The decision came shortly after a New York Times opinion piece(Opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab) about the proliferation of child porn on the site.

    (图1)

    While that article proved controversial given its sourcing of an anti-sex work conservative group, Pornhub still maintains that all accounts on the site need to be verified in order to upload videos (though you don't need to be verified to post comments).

    "Pornhub has implemented safety and security measures that set the standard for compliance programs in the tech and social media industries," Pornhub told Mashable in an emailed statement.

    SEE ALSO: 10 porn set horror stories that double as life lessons

    "As we sought to create the absolute safest platform on the internet, uploader verification was a key policy in combating unwanted content and ensuring we remain at the forefront of safety in not just the adult content industry, but on the internet as a whole."

    How does one get verified on Pornhub? To do so, you must apply to Pornhub's Model Program(Opens in a new tab), which gives performers a percentage of ad revenue and offers additional paths to monetization, such as tips. Here's how:

    Create an account

    The first step is a no-brainer: Create a free Pornhub account. You only need an email address, username, and password. Once you verify your email via a link sent to the address, you're good to go.

    How to get verified

    On desktop, you can use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge for this step; on mobile, you can only use Chrome or Safari. To get verified on Pornhub, you must take a photo of your ID and perform a live face scan.

    The ID verification goes through a service called Yoti(Opens in a new tab), which Pornhub calls "the leading digital identity verification solution."

    On Yoti, select your country and click "Add Photo." Next, select what type of ID (the choices will vary depending on your location) you're using, such as driver's license or state ID. With the exception of a passport, for which you'll upload the photo page, you'll need photos of the front and back of your ID. Yoti may reject the photos if they're too blurry, but you can always retake them as needed.

    After that, Yoti performs a live face scan. Make sure your camera is at eye level and your room has good lighting. Once you consent to the scan, select "I'm Ready" and follow the prompts. The scan will fail if you don't move enough to confirm to the system that you're a live human being.

    Pornhub's model application

    Once you've uploaded your ID photos and completed the scan, you can submit your model application on Pornhub's site. The form will ask you for your name, address, preferred method of payment, and whether you'll perform other services, like creating custom videos.

    You have two weeks to complete this process once you start the application or else it expires, but it should only take you a few minutes. Applications are reviewed within 48 hours, and you'll receive either an approval or a notice that your application requires further attention.

    That's it! Go forth and get verified.

    Related video: How influencers are ruining OnlyFans for sex workers

  • Prank calls flood Trumps voter fraud hotline, and the best one is from a Disney star

    Prank calls flood Trumps voter fraud hotline, and the best one is from a Disney star

    They say you should always win gracefully. But in the 2020 presidential election, it's pretty hard to do that when the losers are so sore they keep trying to invalidate the legally cast votes of 75 million Americans. So what's the harm of a few prank calls to Trump's voter fraud hotline?

    (图1)

    Early on Saturday, Nov. 6, every major news outlet named Joe Biden the projected winner of the 2020 presidential race. Later that night, the presumptive President-elect and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered their victory speeches, as is normal once a candidate takes a substantial lead after the vast majority of votes are counted.

    Yet on his end, soon-to-be-former President Trump still refuses to follow normal protocol for the legitimate Biden-Harris win. Despite absolutely zero substantiated evidence(Opens in a new tab) of widespread voter fraud, which experts determined have not been a cause for concern(Opens in a new tab) either historically or in the current 2020 election(Opens in a new tab), the Trump camp barreled on with its months-long false narrative(Opens in a new tab) around "illegal" votes. They've filed several baseless lawsuits(Opens in a new tab) in an attempt to further suppress and cast doubt on the aforementioned millions of legal votes, though curiously only in states where he lost.

    So, with all that in mind, it's tough to sympathize with the sources now belly-aching to ABC News about folks calling(Opens in a new tab) Trump's joke of a voter fraud hotline (that number, in case you were wondering, is 1-888-503-3526) with their own jokes. After all, if you're going to act like a clown, then expect to get clowned right back.

    Though, unlike the Eric Trump tweet(Opens in a new tab) claiming that the calls are led by Democratic operatives, all evidence points to the spammers being predominantly everyday Americans. Organized only by social media and the desire to have one last good laugh at the Trump campaign's expense, several semi-viral posts online show the real faces of these pranksters. (The Trump campaign denied ABC News' request for comment on the prank calls.)

    On Saturday, one man urged(Opens in a new tab) everyone on Twitter to definitely not call Trump's voter fraud hotline (again for posterity, that number is 1-888-503-3526) only to play the losing sound from The Price Is Right whenever someone picked up.

    The ABC journalist also reported that the trend was spreading to TikTok(Opens in a new tab), through app users who were previously credited with pulling off a similar prank on the Trump campaign's Tulsa rally by getting them to wildly overestimate attendance numbers.

    More guerilla-level pranking of the hotline (which, again, can be reached at 1-888-503-3526) saw one woman explaining to an operator that she was calling to report a Michigan polling station that did not allow her to vote for Trump twice.

    "I don't think you're allowed to vote twice," the operator responded, with all the expertise of someone qualified to sniff out any attempted voter fraud.

    The cherry on top of the fiasco came from Alex Hirsch, creator of the beloved Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls, who decided to jump in on the fun(Opens in a new tab). He first tweeted a recording of himself calling in to report suspicions of the McDonald's Hamburglar (aka Antifa) committing voter fraud for Joe Biden.

    Soon after, Hirsch uploaded a video of him calling in as fan-favorite character Grunkle Stan, proudly reporting himself as a local hero for taking ballots in a big sack and demanding to speak with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Guliani. After realizing it was yet another prank call, the exhausted attendant responded with a less-than-convincing, "Oh, great."

    Despite its chaos and apparent failure to report back even a single legitimate claim of voter fraud, we think Trump's hotline is actually winning, by a lot. Some people are even saying it's the best hotline we've ever had, just huge — an absolutely perfect, beautiful voter fraud hotline for an absolutely perfect, beautiful president.

    UPDATE: Nov. 8, 2020, 5 p.m. EST An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified 'Gravity Falls' as a Cartoon Network series. In fact, it is a Disney Channel series. We apologize for the error.

  • Cancellable takes are taking over Twitter

    Cancellable takes are taking over Twitter

    It makes perfect sense that the latest Twitter trend is about sharing hot takes.

    (图1)

    The social media platform is essentially built for firing off provocative, usually impulsive, viewpoints. So when Michael Realman, also known as @trichesfaucons on the platform posted the following on Twitter, it caught on fast: "We're cancelling each other over food takes today. Post your cancellable food take." In this context, "cancellable" is purported to be an unpopular opinion, not something that is actually offensive.

    SEE ALSO: Twitter tests an 'unmention' feature

    Naturally, prompted by the chance to stir the pot without meaningful consequences, the cancellable takes came hot and fast. "Watermelon is a C-tier fruit," said @billyisyoung. "Onions are terrible, stop putting them in things," said @cruickshank. And then there was this monstrosity: "I like to boil my cereal. And instead of milk I eat it with 1/2 half and half and 1/2 prune juice topped with everything bagel seasoning. Sooooo good," wrote @beanoo14.

    But it didn't end with food takes. Over the past few days, prompts for cancellable takes on just about everything has spread across Twitter. Omitting the ones that are NSFW or are actually just problematic takes, here are some of our favorites.

    People have strong feelings about books, so this one got pretty heated.

    The famous quantum physics thought experiment gets the cancel treatment.

    You the astrology fans have something to say about this.

    Brace yourself for some controversial Miyazaki takes.

    Referencing a recent New York Times memo(Opens in a new tab), this take is almost too hot to handle .

    We've reached the shitposting phase of the trend cycle.

  • I tried TikToks viral lettuce water sleep aid. It was kind of gross and I slept horribly.

    I tried TikToks viral lettuce water sleep aid. It was kind of gross and I slept horribly.

    Don’t trust anything on the internet — until Mashable tries it first. Welcome to the Hype Test, where we review viral trends and tell you what's really worth millions of likes.

    (图1)

    I'm not a great sleeper — I routinely function on roughly five hours — so I'm open to trying anything that'll help me catch some Zs.

    OK, so I'm not great at putting down my phone before bed, but I live online so that feels impossible. But when lettuce water started going viral on TikTok as a sleep aid, I figured, sure, let's give it a go. So, yes, last night before bed I drank a mug of lettuce tea.

    In case you haven't seen viral lettuce water TikToks(Opens in a new tab), it is — disturbingly — exactly what it sounds like. Picture making a nice cup of tea, except instead of steeping a tea bag you are dunking leaves of lettuce in hot water. Then you drink that cabbagey concoction. This remedy, supposedly, makes you quite sleepy. Somehow, this has become A Thing all over TikTok.

    The process began with going to the closest grocery store and picking up a decent looking bag of romaine (shouts to Ozzie's Fresh Market(Opens in a new tab)). I've seen all kinds of lettuce used in TikToks, but I selected romaine because I like romaine salads and I figured I shouldn't be wasteful with the leftovers.

    I washed roughly four or five leaves of romaine. From there, I heated up a mug of water and — lord help me — dunked them in.

    Making lettuce water is simple but feels quite wrong. Credit: Tim Marcin / Mashable

    I let the lettuce, erm, steep, until the leaves look thoroughly soggy and I could smell a cabbagey aroma coming off the mug. From there, I removed the lettuce — except for a few chunks of romaine that broke off — and well, there was nothing to do but sip.

    Sip I did. It wasn't the grossest thing in the world. It wasn't pleasant, mind you, but it wasn't awful. My notes on the taste read:

    • Tastes exactly like...lettuce water

    • Weirdly thick? Can water be thick?

    • Savory water. Like chicken stock except cabbagey

    Imagine drinking tea that has a sulfuric, earthy aftertaste — that's lettuce water. Unlike tea, the water didn't really change color or anything, but trust me when I say it had a distinct lettucey taste and odd viscosity.

    I gulped through most of the mug but, admittedly, dumped the last sip or two because it was filled with chunks of romaine.

    I used my Newseum mug for this super important jounalistic endeavor. Credit: Tim Marcin / Mashable

    Now, the million dollar question: Did it make me sleepy? TL;DR: Not really. I was already kind of sleepy before the mug of lettuce, but it didn't make me extra drowsy. In fact, I made the lettuce water shortly before 11 p.m. and ended up not being able to pass out until after 1 a.m. Another not so great night of sleep.

    To be fair, however, I have always had trouble sleeping and most remedies don't tire me out. Benadryl, for instance, does nothing to make me drowsy. Other folks have reported(Opens in a new tab) it actually does work for them, so I could be in the minority here. In fact, a 2017 study showed(Opens in a new tab) romaine can help with sleep, noting "seed and leaf extracts derived from romaine lettuce induced an increase in the sleep duration at low and high doses respectively."

    "Romaine lettuce is an interesting and valuable source of sleep potentiating material," the study in the journal(Opens in a new tab) Food Science and Biotechnology read.

    Still, will I be drinking lettuce water before bed any time soon? Probably not, since it didn't really work for me. But I will be making a salad this weekend. So that's something.

  • That could have been me: ESPN reporter gives emotional speech about Breonna Taylors killing

    That could have been me: ESPN reporter gives emotional speech about Breonna Taylors killing

    "I have prided myself in being able to be objective and cover these sorts of issues," said ESPN reporter Malika Andrews(Opens in a new tab) on Wednesday, tearing up as she spoke. "But when it is so clear that the system of objectivity in journalism is so whitewashed and doesn't account for the fact that...Breonna Taylor was 26 and I am 25, and that could have been me, it is very hard to continue to go to work."

    (图1)

    On March 13, Louisville police broke down 26-year-old Breonna Taylor's door and killed her, shooting the unarmed medical worker at least eight times(Opens in a new tab) in her home. Yet despite widespread protests and calls for justice, a grand jury decided(Opens in a new tab) on Wednesday that none of the police officers involved would be charged with killing Taylor.

    Instead, a single officer, Brett Hankison, has been charged with "wanton endangerment," a charge not even directly related to Taylor's death. Rather, it is for allegedly displaying an "extreme indifference to the value of human life" — by firing his gun into a neighbour's apartment(Opens in a new tab).

    In a clip that has since gone viral, Andrews reported for ESPN on Wednesday on the impact of this result on NBA players(Opens in a new tab), with many having been visibly supportive of the protests, calling for justice(Opens in a new tab) following Taylor's killing, and even later staging walkouts against police violence.

    "It reverberated everywhere," said Andrews. "Players were hurting. That's not to say that they didn't expect this... [Boston Celtics' player Jaylen Brown said] what do you expect about a system that is rigged against, that was founded on an unfairness against people who look like him, and people who look like me?"

    SEE ALSO: NBA players and other sports stars stage walkouts over shooting of Jacob Blake

    Andrews became audibly upset as she spoke about the disappointment and devastating lack of surprise amongst NBA players, sharing the personal, emotional toll the decision had on her as a young Black woman.

    "I'm sorry that I'm getting choked up here, because this is about the players and their response, but it's been hard for them," she said. "This is something that... they fought for the entire time they've been down here and they were hoping for a different outcome."

    Displaying remarkable strength and composure after her emotional speech, Andrews quickly shifted back to how the decision in Taylor's case impacted the NBA's players. This was an impressive feat, but she should never have needed to be so strong in the first place.

  • Arnold Schwarzeneggers powerful childhood tale ties Trump fervor to Nazism

    Arnold Schwarzeneggers powerful childhood tale ties Trump fervor to Nazism

    It feels like we've all aged many years since Wednesday's failed coup on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. But actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has some perspective to buoy us along.

    (图1)

    On Sunday morning, Schwarzenegger released a video comparing the attack on the U.S. Capitol to Kristallnacht(Opens in a new tab), or the Night of Broken Glass, in which German Nazis destroyed hundreds of synagogues, thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and schools and murdered 91 Jews over 48 hours(Opens in a new tab) in 1938. Around 30,000 Jewish men were also arrested and sent to concentration camps.

    Police officers stood by and did nothing to prevent the destruction and violence (sound vaguely familiar?). Also like Wednesday's breach, those Nazis left behind broken glass after their infamous, pre-war pogrom.

    Schwarzenegger grew up in Austria and was born two years after the end of World War II.

    "It [Kristallnacht] was a night of rampage against the Jews in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys," says Schwarzenegger referring to the far-right extremist group(Opens in a new tab) that sprung up during the 2016 presidential election. "Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States."

    Schwarzenegger then shares a painful memory from his childhood, which he says he hasn't shared very publicly. His father would come home drunk and hit Arnold and his mother. But it wasn't only Schwarzenegger's father who did this; neighbors also beat their families.

    "They were in physical pain from the shrapnel in their bodies and in emotional pain from what they saw or did [during the war]," said Schwarzenegger.

    The slippery slope that led to the Nazis taking over, he added, started with "lies and intolerance."

    "He [President Trump] sought a coup by misleading people with lies," Schwarzenegger said. "My father and our neighbors were misled also with lies, and I know where such lies lead."

    While Schwarzenegger doesn't think America will turn into a country resembling Nazi Germany, he believes we "must be aware of the dire consequences of selfishness and cynicism." That blame, he said, lies squarely on the elected officials who "enabled his [Trump's] lies and treachery."

  • Pinterest bans all weight-loss ads

    Pinterest bans all weight-loss ads

    Pinterest announced Thursday(Opens in a new tab) that it would ban weight loss ads.

    (图1)

    The company says the move is a response to a rise in unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders since the pandemic started, as reported by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).

    "NEDA is encouraged by this necessary step in prioritizing the mental health and well-being of Pinners, especially those impacted by diet culture, body shaming, and eating disorders," Elizabeth Thompson, NEDA's interim CEO, said in a statement posted by Pinterest.

    Other social media companies, including Instagram and TikTok(Opens in a new tab), have banned a subset of weight loss claims and products from ads — specifically ads targeted to young people. That was in response to the proliferation of digitally (and physically) altered Instagram bodies that promote unrealistic beauty standards, ads selling potentially harmful diet products (like detox teas(Opens in a new tab)), and the rise of social media-inspired plastic surgery. Pinterest, however, says its policy is the first to ban "all" weight loss ads.

    The policy is quite broad. It prohibits "any weight loss language or imagery," as well as testimonials, product shilling, idealization or denigration of certain body types, and references to Body Mass Index. It expands on Pinterest's ban on ads that contain weight loss pills and procedures, before and after pictures, body shaming, and other more obvious forms of toxic diet culture.

    There is, however, a pretty significant loophole. Weight loss companies are not actually banned from advertising on Pinterest. The company says "Ads promoting healthy lifestyles and habits or fitness services and products will still be allowed, as long as they don’t focus on weight loss."

    This is actually in step with current trends in the diet industry. Of course, there are still plenty of explicit diet ads on the internet. But some legacy players have shifted to accommodate new ad guidelines and consumer tastes.

    In 2018, Weight Watchers rebranded to "WW"(Opens in a new tab) (maybe customers would forget what those Ws originally stood for?). It says it's currently a wellness-focused company, and its new tagline is "Wellness that Works."

    You can bet the $2.5 billion corporation didn't make that move entirely out of the goodness of its heart. Reports(Opens in a new tab) show(Opens in a new tab) that millennials are much more interested in healthy eating, body positivity, and wellness — not weight loss. The diet industry has adapted while still cashing in on diet products.

    Under the new policy, companies like WW can still advertise on Pinterest, as long as they don't explicitly reference weight loss — which might be just fine with them.

  • Monster Mash and guinea bigs: The 16 best tweets of the week

    Monster Mash and guinea bigs: The 16 best tweets of the week

    This was one of those work weeks that made five days feel like seven. Maybe it was the weather where I live, but things just felt pretty blah, huh?

    (图1)

    But guess what? We made it. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of me. I'm proud of us. It's just you and me here, living our best weekend lives.

    Anyway.

    Related Stories

    • The 20 best tweets of 2020
    • 14 best tweets of the week, including Taylor Swift, the Postal Service, beer, and steak
    • 14 best tweets of the week, including Tom Cruise, gabagool, and a darts man with his eggplant
    • 11 best tweets of the week, including a terrifying hedge, Batman, and skipping work
    • 15 best tweets of the week, including Paulie Walnuts, a grilled sticky, and the forbidden sandwich

    We've collected the best and funniest tweets of the week because after a week like that, we could all use a laugh or two. So here they are, the 16 best tweets of the week.

    1. OK, this isn't really funny but it is true. A personal gripe of mine is that we don't build cities or towns for people first.

    2. We get what we get and that's that.

    3.This works. Grimacey Scallop Bay. Scrimothy Champagne. Businessy Salad Plate. They all work.

    4. I, too, will only refer to them as guinea bigs moving forward.

    5. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no doubt, yep, I'm listening to the rules, uh huh, oh yeah, simple, I've got it, no worries.

    6. This is freaking nuts. Never thought of it this way.

    7. An obligatory dril tweet that will almost certainly be cited at far-right politicians moving forward.

    8. An old school banger here.

    9. Just astral project to the event in question, for the love of God.

    10. Honestly, good for them.

    11. Everyone is a buddy. I show no favor. I've just got buddies.

    12. Things can get interesting, indeed.

    13. Little known fact unless you're a certified business expert.

    14. "Don't sweat it bro."

    15. Checkmate, it's relationship time.

    16. And finally, this.

Copyright © 2005-2025 All Rights Reserved
粤ICP备2023009455号