back to article Facebook and Twitter queen Taylor Swift: Facebook and Twitter are RUBBISH

Taylor Swift has told her millions of Facebook and Twitter fans they should not pay any attention to, er, Facebook or Twitter - via the good old fashioned medium of a TV interview. Swift has already demonstrated her mighty power in bringing big tech companies to their knees, having managed to get Apple to capitulate on its …

  1. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Zog_but_not_the_first
      Thumb Up

      Stuffs Apple, puts the social media squarely in perspective. A Goddess among women.

      Where did you get that icon?

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. Anonymous Blowhard

    Next she'll be saying that your choice of mobile phone isn't that important...

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Nah, next she will announce that she's running for President

      Watch out Hillary, Lady Swift is on your tail.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pint

        Re: Nah, next she will announce that she's running for President

        Compared to the quality (qualified?) candates we have now? /sarcasm

        She says more sensible things, to be sure.

  3. MyffyW Silver badge
    Angel

    As one who gets terribly excited about an El Reg upvote I can only admire such level headed advice, even if I don't always heed it.

    1. jonathan1
      Happy

      Upvoted - I felt compelled to upvote you... like reverse psychology or something. Please don't make a comment that you need a donation.

      1. MyffyW Silver badge

        @jonathan1 you and 15 others from the commentariat have made my day.

    2. Blank-Reg
      Go

      Here's another from me. Enjoy the cheap legal high (soon to be banned)

  4. 's water music

    self undermining?

    Whilst I agree with the sentiment I can't help feeling that the source undermines the message somewhat. This isn't a comment on the merits or otherwise of Miss Swift's opinions.

    1. Naughtyhorse

      Re: self undermining?

      You think so?

      probably carries more weight than some fat bloke with no twatter account and 50 FB friends claiming facebook is crap..

      (I'm not fat.... just cuddly :D)

      TBH I couldn't pick her out in an ID parade, but she has done 2 things this week that make me think she's probably a very decent human being.

      1. VinceH
        Thumb Up

        Re: self undermining?

        "(I'm not fat.... just cuddly :D)"

        You know you're fat when a young nephew points at your stomach and says "Have you got a baby in there?" :(

        "TBH I couldn't pick her out in an ID parade,"

        And not only that, but I also wouldn't recognise any of her music.

        "but she has done 2 things this week that make me think she's probably a very decent human being."

        Agreed. A big thumbs up for Ms Swift.

  5. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    I feel guilty now ...

    I had kinda wrongly assumed anodyne American "pop" "star" - sort of Justin Beiber without the testosterone (?) and consigned her to the appropriate part of my brain.

    Seems I was wrong - certainly keep an ear out in future - her Wiki entry (usual caveats) has some remarkably high praise.

  6. nsld

    It makes a change

    From the usual vacuous muppets who are presented an opinion to have by media or PR people.

  7. arnieL
    FAIL

    Yeah but we've got Charlotte Church and Russel Brand

    Who needs genuine philanthropy and actually doing good when you can just whine about austerity whilst keeping yourself on the rich list and in the media spotlight.

    1. speedbird007

      Re: Yeah but we've got Charlotte Church and Russel Brand

      Well old Charlotte did say that she was happy to pay 70% tax to help others. However Georgie Porgie would soon divert that to a mythical surplus.

      1. arnieL

        Re: Yeah but we've got Charlotte Church and Russel Brand

        If she (and Brand) are so keen to soak the rich, let them lead by example. I'm sure she could do a lot of good with her fortune and still have, say, a million left in the bank to keep things comfortable. Doesn't have to go to the government if worries of where it's spent are the issue, just send some cheques directly to charity/NGO of choice.

        1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

          Re: Yeah but we've got Charlotte Church and Russel Brand

          And they could even claim Gift Aid on it.....

          That would take even more money away from Georgie.

          But will they put their money where their mouth is? Any bets?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Yeah but we've got Charlotte Church and Russel Brand

          I strongly suspect that for lots of the people she was 'demonstrating' with would not accept anyone retaining a million in the bank, because they would still be rich. As long as you've got more money than them, you're rich, and you have to keep on giving.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Yeah but

      Philanthropy? Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act (George Orwell, emphasis mine).

      1. arnieL

        Re: Yeah but

        Church and Brand talk the talk, but compare their efforts to Swift (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift#Philanthropy for those too lazy to GIYF):

        Swift's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the Do Something Awards,[425] The Giving Back Fund[426] and the Tennessee Disaster Services.[427]

        Swift performing at the Speak Now Tour Hots in Sydney, Australia (2012)

        In 2012, Michelle Obama presented Swift with The Big Help Award for her "dedication to helping others" and "inspiring others through action."[428] Also that year, Kerry Kennedy of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presented Swift with the Ripple of Hope Award because of her "dedication to advocacy at such a young age ... Taylor is just the kind of woman we want our daughters to be."[429][430]

        Swift is a supporter of arts education. In 2010, she donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School to help refurbish the school auditorium's sound and lighting systems.[431] In 2012, she pledged $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.[432] The 7,500-square-foot building opened in 2014 and will facilitate new programs and workshops for teenagers and senior citizens.[433][434] The space includes three classrooms and an exhibit space, and houses interactive activities such as a musical petting zoo and a "wet" classroom space to make concert posters and other art projects.[435] Museum officials named it The Taylor Swift Education Center and the singer is involved in an advisory capacity.[436] Also in 2012, Swift partnered with textbook rental company Chegg to donate $60,000 to the music departments of six US colleges.[437][438] In 2013, Swift donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony.[439]

        Swift promotes children's literacy. In 2009, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country that she had either attended or had other associations with. The money was used to buy books, fund educational programs and help pay teachers' salaries.[440] In 2010, she took part in a live webcast, Read Now! with Taylor Swift, broadcast exclusively in US schools to celebrate Scholastic's Read Every Day campaign.[441][442] In 2011, Swift donated 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania[443] and, in 2012, she donated 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library, Tennessee.[444] Most of the books were placed in circulation; the rest were given to children from low-income families, preschools and daycare centers.[444] In 2012, she co-chaired the National Education Association's Read Across America campaign and recorded a PSA encouraging children to read.[445] Also in 2012, Swift promoted the "power of reading" in a second live Scholastic webcast, broadcast directly to US classrooms.[446] In 2013, through the Reach Out and Read initiative, she donated 2,000 Scholastic books to the Reading Hospital Child Health Center's early literacy program.[447] In 2014, she appeared in a READ campaign[448] and took part in another Scholastic webcast, broadcast in US classrooms.[449] Also that year, she donated all proceeds from her song "Welcome to New York" to New York City Public Schools.[450]

        Throughout her career, Swift has donated money for helping victims of natural disasters. In 2008, she donated the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the Country Music Festival to the Red Cross's disaster relief fund.[451] Later that year, she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.[452] In 2009, Swift supported the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert,[453] reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist to the Australian Red Cross.[454] In 2010, she took part in the Hope for Haiti telethon; she performed and answered phone calls from viewers wishing to donate money.[455] She also recorded a song for the Hope for Haiti Now album.[456] In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted by WSMV.[457] Later that year, she donated $100,000 to help rebuild a playground in Hendersonville, Tennessee which was damaged by floodwater.[458] In 2011, Swift used the final dress rehearsal for the North American leg of her Speak Now tour as a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States, raising more than $750,000.[459] She also donated $250,000 to Alabama football coach Nick Saban's charity, Nick's Kids, to aid in the tornado relief efforts of West Alabama.[460] In 2012, Swift supported Architecture for Humanity's Restore the Shore MTV telethon in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.[461]

        Swift opposes LGBT discrimination. Following the 2008 murder of Larry King, she recorded a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network PSA to combat hate crimes.[462] On the first anniversary of King's death, Swift told Seventeen that her parents taught her "never to judge others based on whom they love, what color their skin is, or their religion."[463] In 2011, the music video for Swift's anti-bullying song "Mean" dealt in part with homophobia in high schools; the video was later nominated for an MTV VMA social activism award.[464][465][466] The New York Times believes she is part of "a new wave of young (and mostly straight) women who are providing the soundtrack for a generation of gay fans coming to terms with their identity in a time of turbulent and confusing cultural messages."[464]

        The singer is involved with a number of charities which provide services to sick children. In 2008, she donated a pink Chevy pick-up truck to the Victory Junction Gang Camp; the truck is used to transport sick children from the airport to the camp.[467] In 2011, as the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee. This figure was matched by the Academy.[468] In 2012, Swift participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, performing "Ronan", a song she wrote in memory of a four-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma. The song was made available for digital download, with all proceeds donated to cancer-related charities.[469] In 2014, she donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research[470] and $50,000 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.[471] Swift has met with many sick fans through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[472][473][474][475] She has also made private visits to hospitals such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Ronald McDonald House, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital & Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.[476][477][478][479][480][481]

        Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local community as part of Global Youth Service Day.[482] In 2007, she launched a campaign to protect children from online predators, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.[483] Also in 2007, she supported an Allstate campaign which promotes safe teenage driving.[484] In 2009, Swift recorded a Sound Matters PSA to make listeners aware of the importance of listening "responsibly."[485] She appeared in a Got Milk? campaign in 2010.[486] Swift has donated auctionable items to a large number of charities, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation,[487] the UNICEF Tap Project,[488] Oxfam International,[489] Habitat for Humanity,[490] MusiCares[491] and Feeding America.[492] She has also performed at a number of benefit concerts, including for the Food Bank For New York City,[493] and Shriners Hospitals for Children[494]

  8. Amorous Cowherder

    Facebook's entire financial model is based on people obsessing over how much each post is liked. Without people constantly posting more and more crap and getting more people to like them and their latest crap, Facebook would collapse overnight if everyone decided to listen what Miss Swift has said. I have to give her some kudos for saying something sane and positive that people should at least consider.

    ( Drop the "teenagers" bit Miss Swift, trust me lots of adults of all ages post stuff and lose it if they're not liked enough! )

  9. Darren Potter

    Drivel

    I was glad when she pulled her music, I didn't want to hear that drivel anyway. I'd rather an option to block or hide irritating people I don't want in my search results... How about doing that for me Apple???

  10. Martin Summers Silver badge

    Business sense, common sense, a pop singer with some brains. I hope her fans take some notice of her message as well as others as it is utterly sensible.

    1. nijam Silver badge

      No, just another "musician" with a large enough fanbase that the record company uses them as a propaganda mouthpiece.

  11. alexmcm

    Updated Christmas Card list

    My wife uses facebook, and she treats the 'likes' like a Christmas Card list. If she 'likes' one of her friends pictures, but the friend doesn't reciprocate by liking her next picture, then she is off the 'like list' for the next few days.

    It appears to be human nature to expect 'likes' to be reciprocated even if you post a picture of a piece of toast. But it does become an obsession for some people, checking to see which of their friends hasn't 'liked' their latest picture.

    That is why I'd be a billynomates on facebook. I don't check things that frequently, I don't remember who did what, and I can't bring myself to 'like' things I clearly can't be arsed about, especially other peoples dinner and their kids.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Re: Updated Christmas Card list

      Sometimes I 'like' stuff I really don't, just to keep people (and heuristics) guessing. Plus, it causes FB to show me even more crap so I waste less time there.

    2. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Updated Christmas Card list

      Likes are barely any different from upvotes on these Reg forums.

      I totally agree with the lady, who managed to face down Apple AND get them to name a programming language after her. Now, if only I could totally rid myself of my social accounts and the feeling I might miss out on something without them......

  12. Anon Adderlan
    Unhappy

    Sticks and Stones

    I agree with the sentiment, as basing your self worth on popularity has always been toxic. But the things said on Facebook and Twitter do more than just that at this point. They can affect your safety and livelihood.

    So the argument that all this noise shouldn't matter (and it shouldn't) gets undermined by the fact that the medium can cost people their jobs, and affect the behavior of giant corporations such as Apple, *if* you're popular enough.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Sticks and Stones

      Facebook is full of attention seeking people/

      Twitter is just full of too much. I mean, I can't read all the drivel that gets posted there, the same comment repeated a 1000 times, in reply to just one comment from a prominent person, so there is no point in adding a comment, it would be like adding a grain of rice to a 10KG sack of rice and expecting people to notice.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sticks and Stones

        I had that experience when I first tried Twitter, back in the day.

        I came back to it this year, with a very different take. Very picky about who I follow. Anyone with intermittent bursts of spammy "this is me eating a burger" gets dropped quick (FLOTUS).

        I tend to look on Twitter as a source of serendipitous discoveries: links to interesting tools, information, sometimes a little humour.

        I never bother to try and go back miles up the time-line to see what I've missed (unless I'm really bored)

        1. AbelSoul

          Re: FLOTUS

          I had to look up that acronym.

          I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: FLOTUS

            I had to look it up, too.

            This being the innawebz, and after the mentions of eating a burger and of annoying people, well... I really thought it would be something related to FLATUS. Ball, gravity. Gravity, ball. Y'all have fun

            P.S. this one time, a madbro installed a methane sensor in his office chair and hooked it up to a Twitter client. CBA to go find out what he named the feed

  13. Dan McIntyre

    Well I knew POTUS was Pres of US but I had to look up FLOTUS as well.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Go

      elucidate for those too lazy to check?

      1. Scott 53

        Re: "elucidate for those too lazy to check"

        Could someone explain tl;dr too please - it'll save me looking it up.

    2. BernardBrezlow

      FLILF

      Even after 7 years

      That is all

    3. Turtle

      SCOTUS too.

      "Well I knew POTUS was Pres of US but I had to look up FLOTUS as well."

      FLOTUS is new to me too. SCOTUS on the other hand has been used in headlines on this website.

      1. Andrew Moore

        Re: SCOTUS too.

        I'm trying to get that expanded to the Supreme Court Representatives Of The United States

  14. Nehmo

    I'm wondering about word usage. Is it better to use "hypocritical" or "ironic"? Can you say TS is hypocritical because she, herself, devotes all of her effort toward being popular. Or is it ironic that the biggest like-generator in the world comes our dissing likes?

    Because of this apparent contradiction, I suggest TS is being introspective, which is typical for those at the lonely top. She is giving herself advice but disguising the object by pretending the advice for her young fans.

  15. Anon Adderlan
    Facepalm

    Two, TWO PROBLEMS...

    The problem with Twitter is that it confuses talking ABOUT someone with talking TO them (forcing you to engage with someone who is referring to you in the third person), and 140 characters is not enough context (the wit of brevity is an actual thing) when communicating with strangers (or worse, hostiles). I honestly can't conceive of a social network better designed to create conflict than Twitter.

  16. Turtle

    @Anon Adderlan

    " I honestly can't conceive of a social network better designed to create conflict than Twitter."

    IRC.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @Anon Adderlan

      I think you may well find that a huge majority of the catchment group of Facebook and Twitter (teenagers) do not have a clue what IRC is!

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