Daily Archives: April 29, 2020

Last month, Twitter did something striking and almost unprecedented: It deleted two tweets from a world leader.

The social media platform removed the posts both from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro because they violated a new company policy on disinformation involving the global Covid-19 health crisis. One showed him defying the rules of isolation advocated by his own health minister and the World Health Organization; in the other, he defended the controversial use of an unproven drug to treat Covid-19.

Under Twitter's new policy, anyone caught denying established facts about the disease, propagating false or misleading information, denying scientifically established facts, or posting alleged cures for Covid-19, will have their tweets deleted.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician, had long sought to deny or minimize the dangers of Covid-19 and encouraged businesses to remain open to save the economy. In early March, for instance, the president called the pandemic a "fantasy" and "hysteria." On March 20 and again on March 24, he described Covid-19 as a "little flu."

Bolsonaro isn't alone. In recent weeks, Twitter has also deleted misleading statements on Covid-19 from Venezuelan president Nicols Maduro and Rudy Giuliani, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers. Noticeably absent from the list: President Trump himself. On April 17, Trump posted a series of Tweets in support of public protests in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia. All three tweets appear to violate Twitter's new Covid-19 rules, which don't allow posts "actively encouraging people to not socially distance themselves in areas known to be impacted by Covid-19 where such measures have been recommended by the relevant authorities." The protestors, many of whom did not wear face masks or practice social distancing, were gathered to push back on guidelines by their state governments to limit social interaction. All three states have active Covid-19 cases.

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The global pandemic is also far from the first time that dangerous disinformation campaigns have flourished on social media platforms, including those promoted by world leaders. So why, experts are asking, is Twitter acting now? Will it make a difference? And why not censure Tweets from other leaders, including Trump?

Anna Brisola, a Ph.D. candidate in information sciences at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, points to a growth in pressure from society and even from some politicians to find a solution to the problem of fake news. In the past, she wrote in an email to Undark, companies like Twitter would "hesitate in the repression of fake news" because it can "generate a lot of likes, a lot of sharing, a lot of debate, a lot of data. And that means money."

But "with the pandemic frightening the world, threatening the economy and, especially, lives, fake news and rumors have become also a public health problem, standing between life and death," she adds. Media companies likely don't want to be held responsible for not acting or the potential economic fallout. Already, there are more than 2.6 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide and the disease has killed more than 180,000 people, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. In such a crisis, Brisola says, the platforms don't want "to be labeled as the one that has no credibility."

A different economic calculation may be at play when it comes to Trump, however. Twitter is based in the U.S., and the Trump administration has more potential power over the company compared to Bolsonaro and other world leaders, Brisola says. It's unclear, she adds, whether Twitter will ever take down a post from Trump: "Are they willing to touch this hornet's nest?"

Still, Twitter's new policy may not be enough to contain disinformation related to Covid-19, particularly if the company only targets certain leaders. It also many not help even in cases like Bolsonaro's. After all, in Brazil, Bolsonaro's false claims still appear on other media, including on television. And they could still be shared on WhatsApp, one of the country's main social media platforms for spreading disinformation. To address this, the Facebook-owned messaging app has taken steps to reduce the spread of disinformation by limiting the number of times people can share frequently forwarded messages from five to only once. It has also limited the forwarding of messages to a single chat at a time.

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Under its new policy so far, Twitter says it has removed more than 1,100 tweets containing misleading and potentially harmful Covid-19 content and required more than 1.5 million suspicious accounts to verify contact information or complete a reCAPTCHA test.

On March 25, Venezuelan president Nicols Maduro became the first state leader to have a tweet deleted under the policy. In response, Maduro denounced Twitter, saying the platform "censored" one of his posts in which the leader claimed to have received some articles from a Venezuelan scientist that included a supposed cure for Covid-19: a mixture containing, among other ingredients, honey, lemon, and pepper. (A previous instance of Twitter pulling a world leader's Tweet happened in February 2019, but it wasn't for disinformation: The company removed a message from an account that reportedly belongs to Iranian leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei reinforcing a 1989 call for the murder of writer Salman Rushdie.)

Also in March, Twitter deleted a post from Giuliani, who advocated the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria remedy with uncertain effectiveness in treating Covid-19 the same unproven drug being promoted by Bolsonaro. In Brazil, the platform deleted tweets from Brazilian Sen. Flvio Bolsonaro (one of the sons of President Bolsonaro) and Environment Minister Ricardo Salles for spreading disinformation related to Covid-19.

According to Iria Puyosa, a political communication scholar from the Central University of Venezuela, the global pandemic has given "social media platforms an opportunity to establish more ironclad controls on the information disseminated by public figures, particularly political leaders."

Twitter's approach follows similar attempts by other social media platforms. In 2019, for instance, YouTube which is owed by Google changed its recommendation algorithms after a scandal in which the algorithms were manipulated by pedophile networks. According to Yasodara Crdova, a World Bank agile/civic tech fellow and former senior fellow of Harvard's Kennedy School, Twitter has other projects underway, including a "new 'tag' for manipulated content," defined as media that is altered in order to mislead or deceive and that could result in serious harm "which seems to be having some effect."

But even without the new Covid-19 policies, President Bolsonaro appears to be losing ground. Some supporters are starting to criticize how the president has handled the crisis. According to Raquel Recuero, a professor of communication at the Federal University of Pelotas, who has conducted a study on the engagement of the pro-Bolsonaro online network on Twitter, "the pro-Bolsonaro online nucleus has greatly emptied," although she adds that the president's smaller following which still includes many bots it is still active.

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Social media platforms have long been a resource for spreading dis- and misinformation for example during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, where there was Russian interference, the 2018 Brazilian presidential election, which was challenged by fake news, the 2019 U.K. electoral campaign, and the 2019 Indian electoral campaign. Some world leaders have continued to post false or misleading statements on such topics Trump, for instance, has posted such messages about the Russian election interference on Twitter, as reported by the Washington Post. And critics have also long called for Twitter to delete posts or accounts containing dangerous or false claims including those from world leaders.

Social media companies haven't indicated why they've changed tack in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. One reason could be the sheer size of the problem: While other disinformation cases may have been dangerous for specific countries or regions, Covid-19 is affecting the entire world. "Unfortunately," wrote Crdova, "we need a global disaster to remember the importance of rationality in public discourse."

"For issues that are considered local," Crdova wrote, platforms like Twitter or Facebook, "have less power [to enforce measures], not least because they often involve issues considered cultural." Crdova gives the example of racist speech. In Brazil, such speech is a heinous crime; in the U.S., where Twitter and Facebook are based, it is protected under freedom of speech laws. "For these companies to effectively think about implementing localized legislation, we need to regulate first," Crdova adds. "And this is not going to happen where governments take advantage of rumors."

And while disinformation may have gone unchecked during the 2016 U.S. election, social media companies have since responded if a little late. After the election and subsequent congressional investigations in 2018, says Puyosa, "social media companies decided to take measures to monitor and somehow try to control the spread of propaganda and misinformation on their platforms, in particular political propaganda and electoral processes."

The companies are motivated to put their own rules in place, she says, because it gives them more control than if they were to wait until governments impose what could be even stricter regulations. "They are to self-regulate and take the initiative before regulations are imposed on them," she says, also noting that the measures were too timid.

The Covid-19 crisis is also, in part, regaining public confidence in professional journalism, wrote Crdova. Social media companies, she adds, are contributing to this by taking a more active role in curbing falsehoods. But the companies could do more by "calibrating algorithms to give space to the traditional press, opening space for rational moderation on issues that emerge from sites specialized in conspiracy theories," she says. But the platforms stop short of cutting off tweets from Trump, she adds, because "Trump goes up to a limit, but he never goes beyond the interpretation of the American constitution."

Even in the face of a global pandemic, some critics worry that curbing dis- and misinformation on social media could have unintended consequences. According to Joo Brant, a communication rights activist, by censoring speech from a public authority, the platforms limit the access of information for Brazilians "who should have the right to know the position of their highest authority on the crisis, which also implies a problem of sovereignty."

Brant believes that platforms should perform content moderation "under criteria defined in a public way, aligned with international standards and supervised by independent agencies."

Carlos Affonso, director of the Institute of Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro, noted in an interview to newspaper Folha de So Paulo that greater transparency is needed. Companies need not only clear and transparent rules, but also consistency in implementation and they have no such history of transparency and consistency, he pointed out.

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Even if Twitter's new policy works, it won't curb all dis- and misinformtion. Public figures and world leaders will still get airtime on other media. After one of Bolsonaro's Covid-19 speeches was broadcast live on television, for instance, many Brazilians decided to get out of isolation, putting their lives and others' at risk. Policies like Twitter's also won't matter much unless more social media platforms follow suit. In Brazil, as in Venezuela and several other countries, WhatsApp is a "fundamental communication tool," especially in low-income communities, explains Crdova. Because it is so widespread, it is "therefore more likely to be instrumentalized by pre-existing networks of exploitation," she adds.

In fact, observes Puyosa, WhatsApp appears as the main tool for spreading dis- and misinformation, followed by Twitter and Facebook and, increasingly, Instagram. In Brazil, for instance, rumors of Covid-19 miracle cures proliferate on WhatsApp and put people's lives at risk.

Reports have revealed the reach of the disinformation networks in support of Bolsonaro, either on Twitter, with its thousands of bots, or on WhatsApp, with illegal mass messaging financed by allied entrepreneurs. On March 29, a joint study from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the University of So Paulo suggested that among the 20 audio clips with the greatest circulation on WhatsApp, five deny the severity of Covid-19. And of those five, four are among the 10 most shared on the platform.

Crdova writes that it is extremely difficult to monitor and control what circulates in WhatsApp without violating users' privacy. Pablo Ortellado, a professor of public policy management at the University of So Paulo, points to solutions that would help minimize the problem, such as "removing mass forwarding capabilities, transmission lists, and limiting large groups." Crdova also suggests the platform should "take out of circulation the invitation link function, which opens a loophole for people to join groups massively, changing the speed of news sharing in chat apps, and hide the phone number of group participants."

Both experts also point out that WhatsApp mainly delivers private messages between users' phones. Other social media platforms keep users' posts more or less public, such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, giving these companies more control over managing their networks.

While most of these platforms have put at least some policies in place to curb dis- and misinformation, Facebook announced recently that it would increase collaboration with health authorities and improve anti-spam filtering on WhatsApp.

Even if policies like Twitter's can help reduce the reach of fake Covid-19 news, experts point out it is not coming soon enough. "If the companies had actively collaborated" with academics in the past, wrote Crdova, "we might have been able to do much more."

Media consumers also have a role to play, she says, which will require more education on how the digital world works. Puyosa agrees: "It would be much more useful and healthier for public debate to educate citizens on information consumption." There needs to be "an effort to regain citizen confidence on the media and journalists," she says.

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Disclosure: The author of this story is a member of Global Voices, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as "an international and multilingual community of bloggers, journalists, translators, academics, and human rights activists." Iria Puyosa, who was quoted in this piece, is also a member.

Raphael Tsavkko Garcia is a Brazilian journalist who specializes in Brazilian and Spanish politics, technology, and their intersection with human rights.

This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

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Harmful tweets from high places: Why Is Twitter acting now? - Salon

BackyardProduction | Getty Images

Google, Facebookand Twitter have partnered with the nonprofit Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) to launch Tech Together (TechTogether.co), an online platform to offer support to individuals with substance use disorders.The site is a collection of resources to help those experiencing substance use disorder or battling addiction and the associated stigma.

Many of these people have lost their 12-step meetings and other in-person resources during coronavirus social distancing practices. Tim Ryan, star of the 2017 A&E documentary "Dope Man" and recovery advocate for the treatment resource Rehab.com, said that the resulting isolation from shelter-in-place orders has created conditions that are ripe for substance abuse.

"Covid-19 has cultivated an environment that lacks accountability and visibility, which allows people to engage in drug and alcohol abuse while in isolation," Ryan said.

Given that Alcoholics Anonymous alone has over 66,345 groups in the U.S., totaling more than 1,361,800 members, the closure of most groups will leave large numbers of people in recovery looking for resources.Prior to Covid-19, astudyby researchers at Johns Hopkins and Harvard, showed 2.5 million U.S. adults already using online technology to aid in their recovery, and report that interventions incorporating online technologies led to further recovery success.

Now is the time where there is an urgent need to help those struggling with addiction. The data already bears this out. According to an Earnest Research study published in The New York Times,alcohol sales are up 25% nationally. Meanwhile, officials in Florida, Ohio and New York have all reported upticks in overdose emergency calls and overdose deaths since March.

"We know Americans are consuming more alcohol alone," said Marjorie Clifton, executive director of CSIP. "Additional stress and a lack of support community is disastrous for people in recovery."

By partnering with Facebook, Google and Twitter for Tech Together, the nonprofit CSIP is now part of a group that provides a single online destination for those suffering from addiction.

"This platform offers a one-stop location for families or individuals looking for support or resources they need at any stage of substance use disorder," Clifton said. "This site is in partnership with numerous national non-profits who are involved in recovery efforts and includes a collection of technology tools and resources provided by Twitter, Google and Facebook to help share information and put tools and communities in front of people looking for support."

Clifton said that the site will be promoted on Twitter, Facebook and Google, and once users find it through those services, they'll discover a large number of resources to help them or their loved ones find treatment options.

"There are screening tools by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of the National Institutes of Health and health treatment locator tools by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration," she said. "The Twitter community has also partnered with Unity Recovery, WEconnect Health, Alano Club of Portland and SOS Recovery Association to provide community support and recovery meetings."

We know Americans are consuming more alcohol alone. Additional stress and a lack of support community is disastrous for people in recovery.

Marjorie Clifton

Executive Director of CSIP

Each company makes its unique contribution to Tech Together. Twitter offers such hashtags as #RecoveryMovement, #OpenRecovery, and #RecoveryWorks, so those suffering from addiction can join discussions with others in similar straits.

"Twitter is a powerful tool for connecting people in recovery to online resources and to each other, especially during this pandemic," said Lauren Culbertson, Twitter's senior public policy manager. "It also facilitates, in real-time, a global, public conversation around this vital topic."

Facebook, meanwhile, offers crisis support over its Messenger tool and through Facebook Live sessions. It also hosts Facebook Groups for those with substance use disorder. Liza Heyman, Policy Programs Manager at Facebook, said that Facebook Messenger is being used to share resources with those who need them, such as the Center on Addiction.

"The Center on Addiction is using Facebook Messenger as one of their main methods to take incoming from people looking for support," Heyman said. "They have trained social workers interacting with live people through Messenger in the same way they take incoming through text and phone."

Facebook said that use of the Messenger platform increased by more than 50% between February and March in countries that had been most affected by the virus.

As for Google, CNBC spoke with an employee named Shawna who is in recovery and asked to have her last name omitted to preserve her anonymity. She said that Tech Together is using Google's relationships with such nonprofits as Transforming Youth Recovery, Young People in Recovery, and the Center on Addiction, to aggregate recovery meeting locations, thereby providing clear pathways to treatment.

"There are people finding recovery during this time, and it is inspiring," she said. "Any barrier removed from people seeking help is a good thing."

It remains to be seen if online meetings can provide the same level of support as those that take place in person. Anna David, the author of the addiction memoir "Party Girl" and publisher at Launch Pad Publishing in Los Angeles, has been in recovery from cocaine, alcohol and pills for almost 20 years. She said that for her, online meetings have, in some ways, been more effective than those she's always attended in person.

"What's happened for me personally is that my willingness to, as we say, 'work a program,' has grown exponentially," she said. "When I was new to recovery, I was willing to go to meetings across town where you have to be an hour early to even get a seat. Over the years, that willingness abated, and I started just doing what was convenient. Well, now I can log into those meetings, without battling L.A. traffic and hear some of the most brilliant speakers I've heard in 20 years."

She added that while she'll be as happy as anybody for shelter-in-place requirements to be lifted, she doesn't necessarily see a need for the online meetings to end.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I am already a bit nostalgic for Zoom meetings," she said. "I know they'll go away when life returns to normal, and there's been something so special about the experience of connecting with other sober people in this bizarrely intimate way."

For now, many of those who want help appear to be able to find it through Tech Together and other online resources. Recovery advocate Tim Ryan of Rehab.com said that over the six weeks between early March and late April 2020, Rehab.com had seen a 393% increase in treatment seekers and a 285% increase in providers, over the same period in 2019. He also added that resources are available to those who may have never sought treatment before, but now suspect they may need to. He outlined some behaviors to look for in those who may need treatment.

"If you're missing appointments or work commitments because of frequent and debilitating hangovers, have prolonged feelings of not wanting to connect with others, even virtually, are using substances as your primary mode of escape, are spending a large portion of your financial reserves on drugs and alcohol, even if you've experienced economic loss, or feel like you need to have drugs or alcohol to feel 'normal' -- these are all signs that you have a problem."

Link:

Google, Facebook, Twitter team up to support addiction recovery during pandemic - CNBC

If you had any question about how beloved punter Dustin Colquitt is by his teammates within the Chiefs franchise, look no further than the response to his release. Once the Chiefs made his release official, teammates new and old came out of the woodwork to show their support for Colquitt. Current players like Harrison Butker, Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu sent heartfelt messages. Former players like Brandon Flowers, Anthony Toribio and Mike DeVito also weighed in on the impact Colquitt had on them.

Perhaps the most personal and profound was the message shared by Butker, the Chiefs third-year kicker who grew close with Colquitt during their time together on the Chiefs.

Its been an absolute honor and privilege playing with Dustin in my 3 seasons, Butker wrote on Twitter. From Day 1 youve been a great teammate, mentor and friend. Youve been a pillar of the Chiefs franchise for 15 years breaking tons of records and just being an amazing ambassador for the organization. You prioritize your family above anything else in this world and they only come second to your faith in Christ. Youre someone every player in this league can look up to. Im truly grateful for our time together and will always cherish the memories weve made. Im excited to see what your future holds.

Hills message was less profound but equally important, reminding us that Colquitt served as a positive role model for many players in the locker room throughout his career.

Mecole Hardman expressed sadness to see his friend leave the franchise.

As they often say, real recognizes real. That feels true for Colquitt and Mathieu here.

Toribio recalls all the locker room antics he got into with Colquitt in Kansas City.

Flowers says that he had the juice in the Kansas City locker room, always bringing the energy and some laughs.

I think DeVito might have captured Colquitts role on the Chiefs the best. He was a great encourager, helping to bring out the best in those around him at all times. And just like Colquitts teammates, were all grateful for his time in Kansas City.

Originally posted here:

Twitter reactions from Chiefs players to news of Dustin Colquitt's release - Chiefs Wire

Police departments across the country are turning to Twitter to connect and engage with the people, create awareness, promote initiatives, and ensure calm during lockdown.

According to Twitter India, police departments across the country are creating engaging and humane content by using a variety of tools such as tweet chats, hashtags, images and videos, accompanied with wit and humour.

While Bengaluru Police is running a campaign called #ArrestCorona, Mumbai Police is using Bollywood dialogues to create awareness on Covid-19 during lockdown.

Quoting Isha Pant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Command Centre) of Bengaluru Police, a Twitter India statement said: Bengaluru City Police has started #ArrestCorona campaign on Twitter through which we are spreading awareness, busting myths, and spreading cheer by way of publishing positive stories in our Hero of the Day series.

In one of the tweets, Mumbai Police tweeted a meme inspired from the Bollywood film Stree, to urge people to not step out on the streets. Mumbai police tweaked the dialogue from the 2018 movie O stree, kal aana to O corona, kabhi mat aana.

Anyesh Roy, DCP, CyPAD (Cyber Prevention, Awareness and Detection Centre) of Delhi Police, said that the department has intensively used Twitter to connect with the citizens in real-time, dispel rumours and misinformation, share information about various initiatives, and receive feedback on various policing related issues.

SoS received on Twitter and other social media platforms have helped Delhi Police reach out to each and every needy person across the city and provide timely assistance in the form of dry rations, food, medical emergency, etc, he said.

Twitter India said that UP Polices tweets show the departments efforts to reach out to the public with witty and visually engaging content.

It also added that the Kerala Police has carved a niche on Twitter, with its funny videos and feel-good tweets about the daily activities attempting to raise the spirits of the locals.

Read more:

Police get creative with Twitter hashtags, Bollywood dialogues - BusinessLine

On a sunny morning in late March, Ryne Kekahuna sat in his car, worrying. Though the coronavirus pandemic had recently shuttered businesses, Kekahuna, 28, was able to continue his normal duties as a salesman in the home-building industry. His wife, Laura, 30, wasnt so lucky. She owns Los Molcajetes, a Mexican restaurant in South Dallass Pleasant Grove neighborhood. Together with her cousin and co-owner, Ivan Saenz, Laura was forced to close year-old Los Molcajetes doors entirely. Though theyd been able to reopen for takeout only, their earnings plummeted by two thirds. They didnt lay off any employees, but half of the staff couldnt come in, mostly because of child-care obligations.

All of this required Laura and her cousin to rethink payroll, product, and bills, essentially creating a new business model. Ryne knew these hard decisions were devastating to Laura, who set out to retrain staff, transform the menu to focus on to-go dishes, and come up with the money to keep paying her staff. So with a few minutes to spare between meetings, Ryne fired off a tweet. Hey everyone, my wifes restaurant in Dallas is from scratch authentic Mexican food. Shes from Mexico City, he wrote. If youre in Dallas and can afford to try pick up or delivery we would appreciate it. We are just trying to keep employees paid the best we can. He added a few tantalizing photos of Los Molcajetes dishes: a cheese-blanketed enchiladas verdes plate, flautas covered neatly with chopped lettuce and a quick lattice of cream, and molcajetesthe restaurants namesake lava-stone bowls brimming with liberal servings of sliced meat and grilled vegetables.

The message resonated, earning 12,000 likes and 8,400 retweets. It kind of took off, I guess, Ryne says. Probably the first 24 hours, I did my best to respond to everybody. And it got a little bit hard to do that with my own real-life job and responsibilities. Donations and orders increased by about 5 percentnot a huge spike, but enough to help Los Molcajetes hire three new employees to prepare and deliver orders. The restaurants Facebook and Instagram pages also saw an influx of new followers.

Now more than ever Texans are connecting over shared stories. Enjoy your unlimited access to our site. To have Texas Monthly magazine delivered to your home, becomeasubscriber today.

Social media stardom is fleeting, however. Nearly a month later, the business continues to struggle. There have been days where it hasnt even been profitable to keep the restaurant open, Ryne says. Laura and Ivan are still scrutinizing every cost and cutting as much as they can. Theyll go as lean as they need, with or without donations, to keep selling fragrant quesadillas de huitlacoche, street-style tacos in large family packs, and refreshing micheladas. It definitely would make sense to just shut down until all this blows over, Laura says. But you know, its not about what might be best for us. Its about whats best for us as a community.

Roughly 60 percent of Pleasant Grove residents are Latino, and about 30 percent live below the poverty line. Most work in blue-collar jobs and in the service industry, so theyve been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Single parents, people caring for elderly relatives, and those juggling multiple jobs are all struggling. Meanwhile, Saenz and the Kekahunas know the best way they can help. The one thing we do have is food, Laura says. With that, we can help people who might be the most vulnerable.

She and Saenz say they havent forgotten about their workers who are forced to stay home, urging them to get in touch if they need groceries or are struggling to pay a bill. We hope that if one of the employees actually is in a place where theyre really seriously in trouble, they would reach out to us, so we could help, Laura says. We havent had that happen yet, but we would definitely do everything we could to first take care of them.

Bilingual signs in the restaurants windows announce that walk-up service is to-go only. They are still hiring drivers and have placed large rectangular Los Molcajetes-branded magnets on the front doors of the delivery vehicles. The extra efforts are helping them hold steady. In mid-April, the restaurants Facebook page announced Los Molcajetes had extended its hours. Kekahuna and Saenz are waiting to hear if theyve been approved for a disaster loan from the Small Business Administration. They were prevented from applying for another loan because Lauras legal resident papers havent arrived in the mail yet. Really, it feels like were starting over, she says. But here we are, still trying.

Original post:

How Twitter Helped a Dallas Restaurant Survive the Pandemic - Texas Monthly

Thesis Summary

Twitter Inc (TWTR) IPOd in 2013 and started to turn a profit as recently as 2018. With daily users reaching a plateau, investors are less than excited with the company. However, I believe that given Twitter's unique value proposition, the current price offers a great potential return for investors

Twitter has become one of the most popular sources of news and entertainment over the past 5 years. The concept and business model is quite similar to Facebook Incs (FB) and most other social media platforms. Twitter allows you to create an account and share your thoughts with the world in a concise way. And like FB, Twitter leverages its user base by selling ads on the platform.

While the company's revenue has been increasing at double digits, profitability is still a new word in their vocabulary.

Source: 10-K

As we can see above, the company only started posting positive income in 2018, at around $1.2 billion, which grew to $1.46 billion in 2019. However, this number is misleading, the only reason that income increased was due to a much larger gain from a provision for taxes. Operational Income decreased by close to 7.8%. Costs have increased faster than revenue, at around 20% YoY increase.

Source: 10-K

The balance sheet, at least, seems quite strong. The company holds a strong cash and ST investment, enough to cover ST liabilities. Overall, assets are plenty to cover liabilities, the D/E is m0.36 and financial leverage, as calculated by morningstar is 1.46. Even though the company has just started reporting earnings, the financial position is incredibly strong.

There is certainly hard evidence supporting the bear thesis on Twitter. The last couple of years have shown lackluster growth in terms of users on the platform.

Source: Statista

The chart above shows quarterly growth, which has plateaued and even decreased in the last year, with a little uptick in the last quarter. This poses a big threat to sustaining ad revenue growth.

Source: 10-K

The engagement numbers are not encouraging either. Ad engagement has continued to fall year after year, and likewise, costs per ad engagement have continued to fall, putting even more pressure on twitter's revenue.

It is reasonable for investors to be wary of Twitter. Lackluster growth, combined with increased competitive pressure from the likes of Snap Inc (SNAP) is a very real threat to twitter. Nonetheless, Twitter is still a valuable company, the real question is; how valuable?

Despite the slowdown in the usage of the platform, some encouraging data can be shown. Unsurprisingly, this is the first number Twitter throws at you when going through their statements.

Source: 10-K

Rather than talk about daily active users, Twitter refers to Monetizable Daily Active Users, referring to those users that can produce revenue for the company. In this regard, 2018-2019 has seen an increase of 20%.In this regard, there are a few key areas where I believe twitter can and will shine.

Firstly, the numbers above show that Twitter is taking the right steps to make its platform advertiser-friendly. The platform itself seems to be well geared towards this, with short and to the point messages being the main reason behind its existence. And its main users seem to be in the higher income bracket, with over 50% of its users being between the ages of 25 and 50. Furthermore, Twitters target demographic appears to be more focused on higher-income individuals.

Furthermore, Twitter is looking at expanding its business in a way most other social platforms havent done yet, opening up their platform to programmatic buying from outside platforms and agency trading desks. This means Twitter will relinquish control and allow outside companies to more easily integrate with the platform.

Finally, it is my own opinion that Twitter is a lot further away from being replaced that some of the other platforms out there. Twitter users are generally avid users. The platform serves not only to communicate but also to stay informed and up to date with news, sport, and overall trends. Twitter is the perfect outlet for people and businesses voices to be heard, and there doesnt seem to be an alternative.

To this extent, other companies like Snap and TikTok are more susceptible to changes in fads and trends. Twitter shines for its simplicity and straightforward value proposition-

At todays valuation, Twitter offers investors a great price into a company that has a higher intrinsic value and substantial upside potential. With a TTM P/E of just above 12, the company seems grossly undervalued compared to peers such as SNAP and FB. Sure, FB has a much longer track record and is much more profitable, but I fully expect Twitter to play catch up and I believe we will soon see Twitter posting higher revenue growth than FB. With its current balance sheet and the further profitability from Twitter, it is only a matter of a couple of years before Twitter can deliver value to investors in a much more substantial way.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Twitter Is Ready To Fly - Seeking Alpha

On April 27, the Pentagon confirmed the veracity of three previously leaked videos showing unidentified flying objects (UFOs), or, as it calls them, unidentified aerial phenomena. It also released the videos publicly for the first time, though they'd already been shared by theTo the Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences.

The announcement certainly didn't suggest that these videos are evidence there are Grays out in the dark of space hoping to get even with Ozzie Graham. (Bring backPeople of Earth!) It simply said that they don't know what the objects in the video are, aka they're unidentified. However, that has not stopped people on social media from making jokes about the Department of Defense showing us UFOs in the midst of a very, let's say atypical, year.

Jokes were a widespread response to the videos, and it might be the best possible reaction right now. Here are some of the best responses to the video of UFOs on Twitter.

Though, some folks are unimpressed because the videos had been leaked before. The truth is out there, presumably on YouTube.

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The Pentagon Released UFO Videos & There Were a Lot of Jokes on Twitter - Thrillist

(CNN) Fish-tailed monkey "mermaids." A snuff box for storing pubic hair. Enough creepy dolls to fill a haunted schoolhouse.

With their doors closed due to the pandemic, museums in the UK and beyond have been taking to Twitter to showcase the most terrifying items in their collections, and it might be enough to make you glad to be safe at home.

England's Yorkshire Museum threw down the gauntlet on April 17 by sharing a bun of human hair which once crowned the head of a Roman woman.

There was a strong showing for Fiji mermaids -- a taxidermy fad for stitching together monkey-fish hybrids -- with Natural Science NMS's rose-hued lovely winning this particular beauty pageant.

The Yorkshire Museum has been running its Curator Battles on a weekly basis, with another epic showdown scheduled for this Friday. The museum's communication manager, Lee Clark, tells CNN Travel that its Twitter account has gained 2,600 new followers in the past few days.

So who's the winner of this impressive battle? It's clearly us readers, who -- while museums worldwide have had to shut up shop -- can still peruse pictures of snaggle-toothed rat creatures and woodwormed ventriloquist's dummies.

After all, Penshurst Place's bear needs your pennies to fund its drinking habit.

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Museums reveal their creepiest objects in Twitter battle - CNN

It was a Cinderella run for the ages, but the Cougars ultimately fell short to the heavy favorite North Carolina Tar Heels in the championship round of this years NCAA tournament action.

Only this tournament wasnt played out on the hardwood; it was battled in the internet realm.

The Fox Sports college hoops Ultimate Fan Bracket Twitter tournament, which kicked off earlier this month, aimed to fill part of the void left by the cancellation of the NCAA mens basketball tournament. It did so with a unique twist Twitter users voted for each matchup in order to determine which program had the best fans in the country. The main incentive of the competition was Fox Sports pledge to put a billboard in favor of the winning school in the city of their rival.

The most-followed Twitter account from every major conference received an automatic bid in the bracket, with the next 32 most-followed programs gaining selection as at-large bids. The first four in teams were the best teams from this season who werent in the bracket already, which was how BYU fit into the equation.

BYU entered the competition as a 10 seed, snatching upset victories over No. 7 Missouri, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 1 Indiana. The Cougars also came out on top after a neck-and-neck, verbally-violent showing against similar mid-major and No. 11 Dayton.

BYU and Dayton are definitely leading the trash talk, remarked Fox Sports college hoops personality Mark Titus in a conversation with the Universe concerning the banter and heckling between fanbases in the tournament. Anytime you are sure of what you are in this world, people dont like it thats certainly true with BYU fans. Theres a lot of BYU fans everywhere.

Cougar fans flocked to the polls, racking up more than 230,000 total votes throughout the tournament to lead the contest. In the final round against No. 1 UNC six-time national champions and alma mater to NBA legends like Michael Jordan and Vince Carter BYU trailed by as much as 14 percentage points and led by as many as four before losing seemingly at the buzzer by a handful of loose votes.

While there wont be a BYU billboard up in Salt Lake, the tournament was a fun distraction from the COVID-19 pandemic and a chance for the Cougars to gain even further exposure as a national force thanks to the fans. Titus, a teammate of Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley at Ohio State, gave plenty of praise to head coach Mark Pope for launching BYU to national relevancy again.

(Pope) has been a revelation for me. Its fun watching BYU and his progression, Titus said. I had asked him about coaching at BYU and dealing with (missions). No other coach in college basketball recruits a kid and then dismisses him for two years. No part of him had a negative viewpoint on it. He strikes me as a players coach to the tenth degree. I want to play for him, hes a guy that gets it.

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BYU falls short to UNC in Twitter tournament - Universe.byu.edu

The 2019-2020 college basketball seasons ended prematurely due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we may never know how the Illini might have done in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, fans were able to reflect on memories of seasons past with the help of Twitter polls.

Illinois mens basketball Twitter account was one of the many accounts that encouraged fans to vote for their favorite memories of the season. These included sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmus daggers in crunch time to seal road wins over Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin, freshman center Kofi Cockburns block on Big Ten Player of the Year and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award recipient Iowa junior Luka Garza to seal a 78-76 win and a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, junior guard Trent Fraziers 70-foot first-half buzzer-beater against Nebraska and senior guard Andre Felizs game-saving steal in the closing seconds of the teams 67-66 win over Indiana.

Dosunmus game-winning shot over Wolverines senior Zavier Simpson with 0.5 seconds left to extend the Illinis win streak to six games met Cockburns block in the final, with fans choosing Dosunmus heroics as the play of the year by a 64.7%-35.3% margin. The 16-moment tournament collected over 25,000 votes across 15 days of voting.

? ILLINI PLAY OF THE YEAR | FINAL MATCHUP
@kxng_alpha stuffs Garza at the buzzer to preserve senior night W

vs.
@AyoDos_11 beats the buzzer for #RoadKill at Michigan
#Illini | #IlliniMadness

— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) April 6, 2020

The NCAA March Madness Twitter recreated their version of the 64-team tournament to honor moments from throughout tournament history.

The 2004-2005 Illini put on a historic season, going 15-1 in conference play and 37-2 overall. The team won the Big Ten regular-season and postseason titles before being named the No. 1 overall seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Illinois cruised through the opening three rounds of the tournament, with wins over 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, 9-seed Nevada and 12-seed Milwaukee, all by double-digits.

The real test came in the Elite Eight when the team fell behind to the No. 3 seed Arizona Wildcats. Down 15 with 3.5 minutes to play, the Illini pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history, winning 90-89 in overtime behind 22 points from Deron Williams and 20 points from Luther Head.

While Illinois fell to North Carolina in the national championship, the 2004-2005 season continues to be considered one of the greatest in program history.

One of the most memorable games in Illinois history, this moment, was honored as a No. 4 seed in the 64-moment tournament.

After over one week of voting, the 2005 comeback was voted to the tournaments Final Four, taking down moments like Duke star Christian Laettners buzzer-beater against Kentucky in 1992, North Carolina forward Luke Mayes game-winner against Kentucky in 2017 and Virginia forward Mamadi Diakites game-tying shot as time expired against Purdue in 2019.

The historic Illini moment took on the Kris Jenkins buzzer-beater in the national championship from 2016, where Villanova took down North Carolina, 77-74. Receiving 52% of the 18,581 votes, the Elite Eight comeback moved on to the final round.

UMBCs victory over No. 1 Virginia marked the first time in mens tournament history that a No. 16 seed defeated a one seed, with 16-seeds previously 0-135 in March Madness. Coming into the game, Virginia was 20.5-point favorites, though ultimately fell to the No. 16 seed underdog UMBC Terriers by 20 points, 74-54.

With 27,164 votes submitted as polls closed, the 2005 Illinois comeback over Arizona was voted the most significant March Madness moment, 51%-49%.

On April 6, Fox College Hoops used a Twitter poll to honor college basketballs unsung heroes: the fans.

Illinois fans have a reputation of being vocal and outspoken on social media, especially on Twitter. This poll put pride and loyalty to the ultimate test.

We might not have March Madness this year, but we are still allowing you to rub your greatness in your rivals face, said a representative for Fox College Hoops in a promotional video for the Twitter tournament on April 6.

In the opening round, Illini fans faced off with fans of the Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago. Over 19,000 fans voted and Illini supporters moved on after receiving 53.1% of the vote.

The second round saw Illinois fans take on the West Virginia Mountaineers supporters and barely squeaked by, moving on by a margin of 50.6%-49.4%, thanks to over 30,000 Twitter users who voted for the matchup.

Illinois then took on Kentucky in the Sweet 16, triumphing 52.5% to 47.5%, with well over 70,000 fans voting in this round.

The run would come to an end in the Elite Eight, however, after Illinois fell to Big Ten rivals Indiana by a margin of 0.2%. Though defeated, the Illinois mens basketball Twitter page congratulated their foes on the win while poking fun at the teams win over Indiana in March.

What a battle. Congrats to the Hoosiers for moving on to the Final Four in the #FOXFanVote.

We'll still take this W from March, though. ? #Illini https://t.co/ynbnjYS6jr pic.twitter.com/7xTX0Xuu3o

— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) April 21, 2020

Though the 2019-2020 season was cut short, it is important to reflect and celebrate the successes the Illini had. Its hard to achieve closure without knowing how Ayo Dosunmu and the Illini would have done in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Twitter polls dont heal the wounds, but they offer the rare opportunity to reflect on triumphs and glory of seasons past.

@JacksonJanes3

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Twitter polls allow fans to reflect on past seasons - Daily Illini