Conservative Hate on Instagram

[Eric]

Just wanted to share my experience with this on Instagram, as most here probably know I post images and videos of the Bay Area and have tens of thousands of followers, as of the last couple of months the growth has pretty much exploded so I see hundreds of comments daily now.

I have a zero political agenda on there, my account is dedicated to nothing but skylines and cityscapes, just imagery with benign titles like "Evening in San Francisco" and that's it.

Lately it's been flooded with Conservatives who pollute it with their political agenda, bashing liberals, Newsom, talking about how Democrats have California it, etc. to the point that it's ad nauseam, though you can see most don't even live here. I've had to block several keywords to keep them from polluting my timeline. Conversely, you never see Democrats doing the same or announcing themselves.

I can't wrap my head around why these people are always so angry and full of hate, they are vocal and motivated, to the point I think it's dangerous to even be around them. I have never once engaged them there and wish it would stop.

 

[Herdfan]

Got to be something in their algorithm.

Do you post there from the same computer you use to access here? Is it possible the algorithm is picking some of it up?

 

[Eric]

Got to be something in their algorithm.

Do you post there from the same computer you use to access here? Is it possible the algorithm is picking some of it up?

That has nothing to do with it.

 

[rdrr]

That has nothing to do with it.

I believe you on that. You mention San Francisco, Chicago, NYC to the wrong person here and they go off on their political Right Wing rant.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Algorithms that dictate what you see in your feed won't help you from spammers and people who post nonsense, especially if you try to run a neutral page that's popular and keep it open to the public so those who don't need to politicize everything can enjoy your work.

Sort of related, but I just heard Hawley into today's social media hearings. It's amazing how lucid and sane he is when its an easy issue with bipartisan support. When I hear his gums flapping, I can't figure out why he can't use the same logic he used to deduce the harms of social media to see the harm in his cult leader.

 

[Eric]

I believe you on that. You mention San Francisco, Chicago, NYC to the wrong person here and they go off on their political Right Wing rant.

I think this is mostly it, there are a lot of "doom loop" videos going around where TikTokers walk around one of the really bad areas of the city, so ignorant people grasp on and act like the entire city is like that when it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm in the city 3 or 4 days a week and never run into any of the stuff they claim it to be, and I'm running around on the streets outside of my car with camera gear, etc.

 

[rdrr]

I think this is mostly it, there are a lot of "doom loop" videos going around where TikTokers walk around one of the really bad areas of the city, so ignorant people grasp on and act like the entire city is like that when it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm in the city 3 or 4 days a week and never run into any of the stuff they claim it to be, and I'm running around on the streets outside of my car with camera gear, etc.

But there aren't any bad parts of <Insert MAGA city here>. /s

In all fairness there are bad areas of every major city across the whole globe.

 

[Eric]

But there aren't any bad parts of <Insert MAGA city here>. /s

In all fairness there are bad areas of every major city across the whole globe.

Yeah I suppose it's the nature of it, it's just so glaringly one sided though. These people are full of hate and can't help themselves.

 

[Herdfan]

I think this is mostly it, there are a lot of "doom loop" videos going around where TikTokers walk around one of the really bad areas of the city, so ignorant people grasp on and act like the entire city is like that when it couldn't be further from the truth. I'm in the city 3 or 4 days a week and never run into any of the stuff they claim it to be, and I'm running around on the streets outside of my car with camera gear, etc.

I hope nothing happens to you, your car, or equipment.

 

[Eric]

I hope nothing happens to you, your car, or equipment.

My guess is you think of the entire city as some sort of hellscape of crime. The reality is it really only happens in few very few areas, most of the city is bustling with tens of thousands of people driving, walking, or taking public transportation without any issues on a daily basis. You need to be diligent about your surroundings and use common sense but it's pretty safe overall.

 

[Yoused]

I can't wrap my head around why these people are always so angry and full of hate

When you corner an animal, it fights back harder. These people see the River City Iowa ideal they crave slipping away, and it makes them oh so sad, and their sadness foments their anger. The world is leaving them behind, telling them that Richie and Ralph and Pottsie and Joanie and the Fonz are irrelevant. They crave that, and it is clear that progress is going to pull that rug out, and so they come to hate the very idea of progress and view those who promote it as stupid and/or evil.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

My guess is you think of the entire city as some sort of hellscape of crime. The reality is it really only happens in few very few areas, most of the city is bustling with tens of thousands of people driving, walking, or taking public transportation without any issues on a daily basis. You need to be diligent about your surroundings and use common sense but it's pretty safe overall.

My liberal boss lives in SF. He has a conservative uncle (oil lobbyist living in Kansas – can’t make this shit up) who was positively giddy about visiting my boss so he could take pictures of all the poop, needles, filth, and homeless to share with his conservative buddies. He was there about a week, didn’t see any of that, and admitted it was a beautiful city.

In fact he had such a nice time he planned to go for another visit on his motorcycle instead of flying in. But he then cancelled. When asked why he said “I don’t want my bike stolen!!”

 

[Eric]

My liberal boss lives in SF. He has a conservative uncle (oil lobbyist living in Kansas – can’t make this shit up) who was positively giddy about visiting my boss so he could take pictures of all the poop, needles, filth, and homeless to share with his conservative buddies. He was there about a week, didn’t see any of that, and admitted it was a beautiful city.

In fact he had such a nice time he planned to go for another visit on his motorcycle instead of flying in. But he then cancelled. When asked why he said “I don’t want my bike stolen!!”

Yeah there's a ton of ignorance around the city. Yes, there is crime, drugs and feces in some of the worst areas but it's pretty much only the tenderloin, rest of the city is just fine. One has to go out of their way to actually see it, which is why you see those "doom loop tours" where they'll take all the MAGAts into the thick of it, otherwise you would never even know it exists.

 

[Nycturne]

I think it was this video by Kurzgesagt that pointed out that social media erodes the natural social bubbles we have. It seems like the research is demonstrating that we have fewer echo chambers in social media, as the algorithms are driving engagement, and bringing opposing groups into direct contact (and conflict) apparently does that better than creating an echo chamber that is the popular belief. Apologies if it's the wrong video.

I remember the shift to "big data driving engineering decisions" during my career. But saw how terrible the metrics were that were being used to define success. A place like Facebook at least at the time was focused on "minutes per day, per person". Any feature that moved the needle on that was rolled out to everyone. It's partly why the home feed is so broken today, and wouldn't be surprised if it's the case here too.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

On the OP, I think it’s possible that at least some of the posts are being made by bots or operatives who get paid to do this type shit all day long. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually most of the negative posts. I don’t think there’s really that many people bored enough to look up key terms on Instagram to comment on with negativity.

After years of trying my mom finally got her deceased sister’s Facebook page taken down. She died in 2017 and far from being a place where people could go get a glimpse into her life and maybe post memories, it became a hotbed of posts that were racist, sexist (including pro rape), violent, and full of profanity. This was a 75-year-old dead white woman. There was no reason or audience for these posts. Clearly it was just operatives carpet bombing social media with garbage. If any keyword searches were being used it was probably operatives feeding off of other operative posts.

 

[Herdfan]

Yeah there's a ton of ignorance around the city. Yes, there is crime, drugs and feces in some of the worst areas but it's pretty much only the tenderloin, rest of the city is just fine. One has to go out of their way to actually see it, which is why you see those "doom loop tours" where they'll take all the MAGAts into the thick of it, otherwise you would never even know it exists.

So you read stories of plenty of stores closing up due to crime. From SF based media, so not Fox News or Red State. Allside rates SF Gate as Leans Left.

Closure of popular store signifies a final blow for fading SF mall

Madewell, a popular clothing store at San Francisco Centre, has announced that it will permanently close on Monday, Jan. 22, the same day as J. Crew.

www.sfgate.com

Were these stores in the bad areas? Google Maps says it is near the Theater District.

 

[rdrr]

So you read stories of plenty of stores closing up due to crime. From SF based media, so not Fox News or Red State. Allside rates SF Gate as Leans Left.

Closure of popular store signifies a final blow for fading SF mall

Madewell, a popular clothing store at San Francisco Centre, has announced that it will permanently close on Monday, Jan. 22, the same day as J. Crew.

www.sfgate.com

Were these stores in the bad areas? Google Maps says it is near the Theater District.

You do know that Malls across America are closing, right? They have been abandoned, turned into homeless shelters, and even apartments. You can thank Amazon Prime, Walmart +, and every other convenient way for Americans to shop online.

I know its more than a "Mall" as well. I have been down in that area which does border on the Tenderloin district. I think the downturn in that area the article is talking about, it a multifaceted issue like a lot of other shrinking Urban areas. Look at the population of St. Louis from the 50s to today as another example of a major city with shrinking population.

Point being, its not just SF, but that plays well with the MAGA crowd.

 

[Eric]

So you read stories of plenty of stores closing up due to crime. From SF based media, so not Fox News or Red State. Allside rates SF Gate as Leans Left.

Closure of popular store signifies a final blow for fading SF mall

Madewell, a popular clothing store at San Francisco Centre, has announced that it will permanently close on Monday, Jan. 22, the same day as J. Crew.

www.sfgate.com

Were these stores in the bad areas? Google Maps says it is near the Theater District.

Yes but that happens in all big cities, not just San Francisco. You guys only look for the bad, and you'll only find the bad and that's why instead of actually understanding a place, you'll just blanket rip on it with no real knowledge of what it's really like for normal citizens on a day to day basis, which is perfectly normal as chew toy pointed out.

 

[Eric]

You do know that Malls across America are closing, right? They have been abandoned, turned into homeless shelters, and even apartments. You can thank Amazon Prime, Walmart +, and every other convenient way for Americans to shop online.

Point being, its not just SF, but that plays well with the MAGA crowd.

To be fair he is the MAGA crowd and he couldn't be doing a better job of making my point... "but look at this article, I've heard this, I've read that" while never having spent any real time here. Would never jump into a post praising it, only stop in to shit on it and then walk off.

 

[Nycturne]

Yes but that happens in all big cities, not just San Francisco. You guys only look for the bad, and you'll only find the bad and that's why instead of actually understanding a place, you'll just blanket rip on it with no real knowledge of what it's really like for normal citizens on a day to day basis, which is perfectly normal as chew toy pointed out.

And it's getting muddled by company statements that are being taken at face value when we have evidence that they shouldn't.

The poster child for the "it's all closing due to crime" in SF is Walgreens to my understanding. Which apparently had more than double the stores in SF of their nearest competitor (CVS), despite having less marketshare than CVS. In 2019, they committed to closing 200 stores in the US, adding another 150 to the list before the end of the year. In 2021, CVS said they'd close 900 stores by 2024, which is not a small number. There are still dozens of Walgreens in SF despite the closures, which by the numbers appear that either Walgreens in SF specifically does worlds better than CVS somehow, or they plopped down too many stores to keep them all profitable.

Top it off with the huge exaggeration (that really is a lie) that had to be retracted about shrinkage due to organized theft during 2021, and I have a hard time taking these statements from companies at face value at the moment. Especially as these companies in particular have been getting hit hard by places like Amazon and Walmart, and have for years.

CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are eliminating some locations as they face rising competition for these items from Amazon, big-box stores with pharmacies like Walmart, and Dollar General in rural areas.

Retail Group Retracts Startling Claim About ‘Organized’ Shoplifting

The National Retail Federation had said that nearly half of the industry’s $94.5 billion in missing merchandise in 2021 was the result of organized theft. It was likely closer to 5 percent, experts say.

www.nytimes.com

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/business/drug-stores-closing-rite-aid-cvs-walgreens/index.html

Map: Where San Francisco’s 53 Walgreens stores are located vs. its 22 CVS stores

A Chronicle analysis of city maps found 53 Walgreens in San Francisco, compared with 22...

www.sfchronicle.com